AIIM's CIP Certification - it's a map.

AIIM’s CIP Certification

What it is that I like about AIIM’s CIP certification, is that it helps you become part of a bigger world.

What do I mean by this?

Well – think of your “Information Professional” as someone living in a village.

A village called “Content Management”.

They do their job and do it well. They’re not aware of the fact that beyond their own village lies a whole world. Then the person travels.

Maybe they have to visit another area for their work, or they see people from other areas visiting and decide to go exploring. In any case, they get to see new sights or learn new things.

The world, for them, however, is still uncharted.

I have lived in this land, and I also only knew of only a few areas. Gradually, however, I have travelled and seen new things.

At one point I started actively seeking out other residents.

We all seemed to talk a common language, but each person had their own “regional” vernacular, or way of saying things.

Each had their own experience and knowledge based on the areas where they were living. We learnt from each other.

The land we lived on was still uncharted. It had no boundary or borders. No-one knew where it started or stopped, or what places made up the land.

However, the CIP defines what knowledge an Information Professional should have. It creates a map of that land.

Looking at the map, I have come to realize that this collection of experiences and knowledge that I have from my many trips through different areas all fits into a big picture.

And that is what I like about the CIP. I now can look at it, and get an idea of the various places that make up this world.

I know which areas I need to revisit, or spend more time in, to give myself a more rounded set of knowledge and skills to be able to call myself an Information Professional.