Alphabet soup: letters after names
When you are handed a business card from a professional with letters after their name, what thought comes to mind? That of the infamous billionaire Thurston Howell III, the famous character from the television sitcom. Gilligan’s Island, who was tactless, guilty, pretentious and lazy? Or the polite, career-minded, customer-serving professional who wants to get the job done right the first time to earn his praise and smile? The letters after the names mean things. They should be a prerequisite when choosing your next professional.
The difference is in the details
The letters after the names are officially called “postnominal letters”. They can be earned for a number of achievements. Letters may be earned by academic education, accreditation, certification, designation, and/or recognition. Although the result is the same – the professional can put some letters after his name – the prestige of the achievements is not the same. There are clear levels of achievement that are higher than others. Put plainly, some letters mean much more than others.
Academic Education – Although a student should be very proud when they earn their certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degree, these degrees do not give the student postnominal letters. Earning a graduate degree, whether a Master’s or Ph.D., is considered the highest and most prestigious level of professional achievement; So, it doesn’t just come with cards, they are the most prestigious of all cards. As a general rule, if someone has a Master’s and a PhD in the same discipline, it only shows the highest level achieved. Therefore, when Mr. Makyo Feelgood gets his bachelor’s degree in finance, he is still “Mr. Makyo Feelgood”. When he goes on to get his Master of Business Administration (MBA), he becomes “Mr. Makyo Feelgood, MBA”. And, when he reaches the pinnacle of academia by earning his DBA, he not only replaces his postnominal letters (replaces MBA with DBA); but, we refer to him as “Doctor”. Hence, “Dr. Makyo Feelgood, DBA.” Interestingly, when the academic disciplines are different, both are listed. Therefore, if instead of getting a DBA he got a PhD in economics, he would have become “Dr. Makyo Feelgood, PhD, MBA”.
Accreditation and Certification – Generally speaking, they mean the same thing. Typically, a training or education program is ‘accredited’ by an external government or accreditation agency and then those who complete the program are ‘certified’. Although not as prestigious as formal education, certificate programs require the professional to have several years of experience in the profession, pass a comprehensive test, and complete continuing education to maintain their certification.
Designation – Although training is part of earning a designation, and sometimes passing a comprehensive test is part of earning a designation, a test is not required for designation programs, nor is continuing education or experience. Therefore, it is an achievement worthy of letters; but, at a lower level than accreditation or certification.
Recognition: Still worthy of the postnominal letters, recognition is the least prestigious of the four categories. It can be earned through training or simply by reaching a career milestone that is often not reached by others in the same profession. Testing, experience, and continuing education, then, are not involved.
order means everything
When a professional has won more than one set of postnominal letters, it is appropriate to display each set of letters after their name. This is done in descending order with the most prestigious letters first (closest to the name) followed by a comma, then the next set of letters, and so on. Therefore, when Snoopy gets his PhD in engineering, he becomes “Joe Cool, PhD”. When he passes his first set of exams to become a Professional Engineer (PE), he is referred to as an Engineer in Training (EIT) and becomes “Joe Cool, PhD, EIT.” Finally, when Snoopy returns to school to hone his design skills and finally earns his Master of Architecture (M Arch), he becomes “Joe Cool, PhD, M Arch, EIT”. It is important to note that the nominal letters of the publications do NOT appear in the order in which they were obtained chronologically; but, in the order of the importance of the realization.
Once earned, a professional has full right to use all letters for each achievement earned, as long as they maintain their license, continuing education, or other achievement requirements. That said, in common practice, it’s rare to display more than three sets of letters at a time. Typically, the pro drops less prestigious achievements to show three or less. In certain cases, it is appropriate to show all the achievements (more than three) of the professional in the form of postnominal letters; such as: receiving an award, instructing or teaching on a relevant topic, or other special circumstances (for example: writing an article about letters after names as found here by the author). However, even if it is not used after the professional’s name, achievements should always be displayed in a summary.
the effect on you
The scammers and want to be it can bring down the reputation of any industry. The true professional who believes his career is honorable, prides himself on his knowledge of the latest best practices, and maintains a high level of continuing education as represented by postnominal letters.
Don’t become a victim. Choose a designer, contractor, real estate agent, banker, accountant and lawyer, or any other professional who is serious about their career while staying at the top of their field. A professional may cost a little more to hire up front or may ask you to wait a little longer before they can get started on your project; but, in the end, it will serve you better.
The letters after the names mean things. look them up. Learn about them. Only hire those who have earned it.