1) You are an I.S.P. holder. Why did you get the designation?
2) How does the I.S.P. assist you in your career?
3) What does it mean to you personally to be a professional? A
4) Why do you feel Information Technology (IT) workers should obtain their I.S.P.?

Greg Sprague, I.S.P., ITCP, Executive Director, Integrated Technology Services, University of New Brunswick responds:

1) Professionalism is important to me. My I.S.P. designation tells the world that I consider myself an (IT) professional and that I take my career seriously.

2) Over the years I have have held several different positions in industry and in higher education. I have worked as a systems analyst, manager, consultant and teacher. In everyone of these positions the I.S.P. has been a strong factor in my favor during the interview and hiring process.

3) To me a professional is a person who has a broad range of knowledge and experience, a mix of the theoretical and the practical. A professional is proud of his/her expertise and is dedicated to constantly upgrading skills through a wide variety of means. This is absolutely essential in the fast paced IT world. We are agents of change and we must be able to demonstrate that we too are capable of changing.

To be successful an IT professional must have an intelligent understanding of the issues and problems facing the industry today, must have a clear sense of which are most important, and must have the background to deal with a complex set of challenges. The support of a professional organization is vital.

4) The I.S.P. designation tells your employer, your clients and your peers that you have the background required to be an IT professional, that you are wiling to invest time and energy in maintaining your expertise, and that you are well prepared to take on not only today's projects but also tomorrow's.

Ted Barnicoat, FCIPS, I.S.P., former Chief Information Officer, Trimac Corporation responds:

1) I obtained the I.S.P. designation because I believed then, and still believe now, that it is important for IT practitioners to demonstrate a commitment to continuous skills upgrading and professional ethics in an environment where there is a rapidly changing body of knowledge and where errors of application of the technology can have serious impacts on the economic health of organizations and the safety of individuals.

2) Because they often ask what the I.S.P. stands for, the designation helped me with customers. I am committed to continuously upgrading my skills to match a rapidly changing technology, and I am committed to ethical business practices. The fact that the I.S.P. is a government regulated, professional designation is a confidence builder, particularly with US customers.

3) Career opportunities have come my way partly because of a greater readiness by potential employers and customers to believe in my skills and commitment to ethics, and partly because, through networking, fellow professionals have identified career opportunities to me.

4) IT practitioners should obtain the I.S.P. designations to demonstrate to their employers and their customers their commitment to continuous skills upgrading and ethical conduct. This can aid both their own careers and the business success of the organizations for which they work.