I'll repeat my original point (which I actually might have made on the other list), wording it a little differently: do we really think we are that important in the grand scheme of things? Let's face it, if we do a bad job nobody is going to die or be injured, nobody will be out his life savings (unless he paid that for our work), and so on. Other regulated fields are that way because of the potential for great harm, either physical or financial, for failure to perform. In all but a relative handful of cases that is not the case in genealogy, and any harm we cause will be covered adequately by contract law. Should we all act professionally at all times? Of course, but I could say the same about ANY individual involved in ANY line of work. That doesn't necessarily mean they need to get a recognized degree to do that work. I have no trouble with it if the general public looks at us as people getting paid to do something many others do as a hobby; that's one of the four principal definitions of "professional." Do you look down at someone who calls himself a professional auto mechanic just because he hasn't gone to a school that gives him the privilege of putting a certain set of letters after his name? Do you frown on a professional computer programmer who hasn't bothered to get a certification (and conversely, for those in the field, are you impressed by a set of letters obtained solely through education with no practical experience required, like MCSE)? I would hazard a guess that (a) 99% of the public couldn't care less about us, and (b) anyone who does and has half a brain realizes that there are bad apples in every line of work and don't tar the entire field if they deal with one clunker. In the cases of many of the clunkers, the customer probably did not do due diligence in selecting the professional. Certification is certainly a positive marketing point, as is belonging to a professional society (like APG) with an enforced code of ethics. But should this be mandatory? Of course not. Sorry to burst some ego bubbles, but as I said earlier, we are not that important in the grand scheme of things. Dave Liesse Skingco Services, LLC