TRB Annual Meeting Session Spotlight – Choose Your Acronym: Credentials for Transportation Professionals

YPT Voice is pleased to present the fifth in a 10-week series of blog posts to introduce YPTers to the TRB Annual Meeting (#TRBAM) and to help them prepare for the annual conference in January 2012. In this post, we explore the second of five YPT-sponsored must-attend sessions for young professionals, ‘Choose Your Acronym: Credentials for Transportation Professionals’.

A complete summary of YPT-recommended TRBAM events will be available before and during the conference.

Take a look at the email signatures in your inbox.  Notice a few acronyms after people’s names?  Do you know what they stand for?  Should you have some acronyms next to your name?  This year’s TRB Annual Meeting will feature a session to help you understand professional credentials, explore your options, and learn how to become credentialed. The session Choose Your Acronym: Credentials for Transportation Professionals will bring together senior leaders from five different organizations that offer transportation-related credentials.

Credentials are professional certifications that confirm an individual’s commitment to a discipline or specialty.  Unlike licensures—which are issued by states—credentials are  granted nationally.  Credentials are an important part of establishing your professional identity—they announce your specialty and interests before even the first word of bio is read.

Having a credential has its benefits.  Credentialed professionals are more highly sought after by employers and tend to earn more money than their non-credentialed counterparts. Credentials also offer networking and leadership opportunities.  Being credentialed has obligations too.  There are testing fees and annual dues.  Credentials also require continuing education every few years, which takes both time and money.

During this session, you will hear how to obtain a credential and what is required to retain it.  You will also learn how you can assume a leadership role in the organizations that offer the credential.  All of the credentials (the exception being P.E.) can be obtained without an academic degree.  Our speakers will be:

Beth Holst, US Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.  Attaching LEED to your name signifies a personal and professional commitment to protecting the environment and reducing energy use.  The US Green Building Council offers several specializations within the LEED program.

Paul Farmer, American Planning Association, American Institute of Certified Planners. Obtaining the AICP credential signifies a career interest in urban planning, urban design, and administration of an effective comprehensive planning process.  AICP also offers specialty certifications, including one focused on transportation.

Thomas Brahms, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Professional Transportation Planner and Professional Traffic Operations Engineer.  The PTP credential shows others you have work experience and deep knowledge of transportation planning, while the PTOE credentials proves knowledge in traffic operations and engineering.  The Institute of Transportation Engineers also offers several specialty credentials.

Victor Carter-Bey, Project Management Institute, Project Management Professional.  The PMP certification demonstrates a professional commitment to effective and efficient management of complex projects.  The PMP credential has been increasing in popularity among managers in the transportation field, and has applications in planning, organizational management, engineering, and software development.

Dan Turner, University of Alabama/Alabama State Board of Professional Engineers and Surveyors, Professional Engineer.  The only licensure on the panel, a P.E. license is granted by independent boards in each state.  The speaker is a nationally recognized engineering professor who serves on the Alabama Board.

The TRB Young Members Council and YPT are spotlighting this workshop because credentialing is an important step in the career of any young professional.  However, you can add a credential at any point in a career. We hope you can join us for this important session!

Choose Your Acronym: Credentials for Transportation Professionals will be held on Monday January 23^rd from 3:45 to 5:30pm in the Omni Regency Ballroom.  On the TRB Interactive Program, it is session #375.

Previous posts in the #TRBAM  2012 series:

• TRB Annual Meeting Session Spotlight: Young Members Council Meeting
• My First TRB Annual Meeting: Some Tips for Newbs
• Looking Back: TRBAM 2011
• TRB Annual Meeting: What you need to know

Alexander Bond, AICP is a Senior Associate in ICF International’s Washington, DC office.  He is member of the TRB Planning and Environment Group Young Members Council.  He is also a young member of the TRB Committees on Land Development (ADD30) and Metropolitan Policy, Planning, and Processes (ADA20).  He does not feel that young anymore…