At the beginning of the year, I mentioned that I was working toward “going on the clock” and becoming a Certified Genealogist through the Board for Certification of Genealogists. As part of that effort, I recently participated in a Certification Discussion Group created by Jill Morelli and taught by Cari Taplin. It was fantastic!
If you are considering “going on the clock” or just wondering what exactly is required in that process then this discussion group is perfect for you.
You can explore their new website here. Learn about the instructors here. Get some details about the course here. And lastly, you can sign up here.
There is a waiting list so if you are interested, sign up! You can always defer if you get into a session that conflicts with your schedule.
This course was exactly what I needed. Cari regularly reminded us that the goal of the course was to “demystify” the process of creating and submitting your portfolio. That is exactly what it did for me.
Each discussion group had a presentation portion and then a discussion portion. They use Zoom so there is also an ongoing chat amongst the participants. That was really great for sharing links, making brief comments, and offering support and suggestions to each other.
Aside from being able to ask questions directly during class and in follow-up emails, I felt that the most helpful elements of the course were two very specific things – the portfolios shared and the rich resource lists.
Jill and Cari have been given permission to share the portfolios of three Certified Genealogists as well as their own portfolios. That means that we were given FIVE different, successful portfolios that as participants we were able to read, study, and compare. That right there is worth every single penny of the incredibly reasonable tuition.
The resource lists for each class were also SO excellent! I have more things to read, listen to, and study than I was able to fully get through during the course, but everything I was able to work with was so excellent! I look forward to being able to use these resources as I keep working through the process.
So, if you are considering certification and have questions, I wholly endorse this course as a great way to get the answers to your questions.
Happy Wednesday, I wish you much success and joy in your personal genealogy journey – no matter which route it takes you. xoxo
Good luck! (Not for me at this point in my life—I only do this for myself and for friends and family who need some help.)
Thank you, Amy! ❤️
I’m so glad to read this. I was signed up myself, and had to put it on hold as I started a new Jon. Seemed like it would be worth it; thanks for sharing your perspective.
You are welcome! I hope you are able to fit it into your schedule, it was really well done. ❤️
I admire you for going for it! However, I’m with Amy on this. I only have time for my own genealogy research and volunteering in my genealogy society. I self-educate but wonder what kind of fantastic insights I may be missing.
Thank you, Cathy! That is a very interesting thing to wonder about… I don’t really know for sure. You are so knowledgeable and experienced that I certainly don’t think you need the class, but I’m sure that you would find some things you really benefitted from/enjoyed. Since you aren’t interested in certification, I would suggest that you consider three things as posible additions to your education (a way to get some of the great resources without spending time on something you aren’t wanting to do):
1 – Watch the BCG series webinars on Legacy Family Tree Webinars, anything on there by Tom Jones, Judy Russell, Elissa Scalise Powell, and Elizabeth Shown Mills (she only has one).
2 – Check out the BCG website and read some of their great resources. There is a lot of fantastic stuff on there. The ten-minute methodology series is quite good – https://bcgcertification.org/learning/skills/10minute/
3 – Consider joining NGS. Reading their Quarterly journal – known as the NGSQ or the Q – has been one of the best things I’ve done in the last few years. You can also download back issues if you are a member. Tom Jones and Judy Russell always have a big old list of previous NGSQ articles in their source list in any of their handouts. I like to go through their list of suggested articles, download them and then study them (based on topics or methodologies I am most interested in at the time).
But like I said, you are a fantastic genealogist with lots of skill and experience so take my suggestions knowing that I definitely don’t think you are lacking!!
Thank you so much, Amberly, for the compliment and taking the time to write this informative list. I’ll look into all three suggestions. I’m sure there are things I can learn from them. I’ve read research work by Elizabeth Shown Mills and found it very interesting.
You are welcome, Cathy! I hope you find some things that are worthwhile for you on that list.
❤️
I’m sure I will. I saved it to Evernote!
Oh! And I totally agree, the work of Elizabeth Shown Mills is very interesting indeed. She is amazing!