I will elaborate on Harold's response. The Preliminary Application that you send to the office (found as a free download at http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/requirements.html) triggers a few things: The office will add your name as a subscriber to the newsletter _OnBoard_. The office will alert the ACTION list coordinator to invite you to the group where you can have direct access to the BCG Trustees and Outreach Committee and the other preliminary applicants for questions or discussion during your application year. The office will send you a packet of information including your test document based on the "specialty" you have listed. Don't make this too hard on yourself or stretch too far into unfamiliar territory. If you say you have a language specialty, it should be fluent. If you mark down a state, you may get a document from that state or from its region. This is for the selection of the Requirement 3 - BCG-supplied Document only and does not mean that you have to complete the rest of the portfolio using that "specialty." I would also like everyone to note that the current Preliminary Application Fee is $50. As of January 1, it will be $75. (Just saying!) There are advantages to getting "on the clock" sooner than later as mentioned above. If you run out of time next year you may also "re-up" for another year by paying the $75 fee again. As many people have found out, it is better to not hurry and just pay the pre-lim fee again when running up against your one-year deadline for the portfolio. Give yourself that breathing room to check and finish the details (which is where that devil lives!) -- Elissa Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL www.PowellGenealogy.com www.GRIPitt.org CG, Certified Genealogist, CGL, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are Service Marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluations by the Board and the board name is a trademark registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office. > -----Original Message----- > From: On Behalf Of Harold Henderson > Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 1:45 PM > > BCG asks about specialization, not necessarily to commit you forever to one area, but > because they want to send you a document (of their choice) for part 3 of the portfolio > (document work) that is in a region and a language that you are familiar with. The point is > what you know best now. Your decision about future specialization may be the same or it > may wait. > > On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 12:34 PM, Patricia McIntyre < linked2ancestors@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > 1st question: I would like to start my CG but I am stumped by the very > > first step on the preliminary application. What do you do if you do > > not have a certain area that you have specialized in?

Thank you so much for the responses, Harold and Elissa. You have answered many of my questions. I appreciate the, " Don't make this too hard on yourself," comment as I think that is exactly what I was doing! This will help my educational plan as well as my plans to eventually be a CG. It is way easy to sit here at the computer and convince yourself that being certified is much too hard. Thanks for the answers and the support. Patty McIntyre On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 12:19 PM, Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL < Elissa@powellgenealogy.com> wrote: > I will elaborate on Harold's response. The Preliminary Application that you > send to the office (found as a free download at > http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/requirements.html) triggers > a > few things: > > The office will add your name as a subscriber to the newsletter > _OnBoard_. > > The office will alert the ACTION list coordinator to invite you to > the group where you can have direct access to the BCG Trustees and Outreach > Committee and the other preliminary applicants for questions or discussion > during your application year. > > The office will send you a packet of information including your > test > document based on the "specialty" you have listed. Don't make this too hard > on yourself or stretch too far into unfamiliar territory. If you say you > have a language specialty, it should be fluent. If you mark down a state, > you may get a document from that state or from its region. This is for the > selection of the Requirement 3 - BCG-supplied Document only and does not > mean that you have to complete the rest of the portfolio using that > "specialty." > > I would also like everyone to note that the current Preliminary Application > Fee is $50. As of January 1, it will be $75. (Just saying!) There are > advantages to getting "on the clock" sooner than later as mentioned above. > If you run out of time next year you may also "re-up" for another year by > paying the $75 fee again. As many people have found out, it is better to > not > hurry and just pay the pre-lim fee again when running up against your > one-year deadline for the portfolio. Give yourself that breathing room to > check and finish the details (which is where that devil lives!) > > -- Elissa > > Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL > www.PowellGenealogy.com > www.GRIPitt.org > CG, Certified Genealogist, CGL, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are > Service Marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under > license by board certificants after periodic evaluations by the Board and > the board name is a trademark registered in the US Patent and Trademark > Office. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: On Behalf Of Harold Henderson > > Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 1:45 PM > > > > BCG asks about specialization, not necessarily to commit you forever to > one area, but > > because they want to send you a document (of their choice) for part 3 of > the portfolio > > (document work) that is in a region and a language that you are familiar > with. The point is > > what you know best now. Your decision about future specialization may be > the same or it > > may wait. > > > > On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 12:34 PM, Patricia McIntyre < > linked2ancestors@gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > > > 1st question: I would like to start my CG but I am stumped by the very > > > first step on the preliminary application. What do you do if you do > > > not have a certain area that you have specialized in? > > > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >