Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
new specialized examinations, and promoting professional development.
In 1973 the ICCP took over responsibility for the CDP examinations. It
also worked to develop a code of professional ethics to be adopted by
its member organizations.
The ICCP failed to revive the CDP or institute a meaningful certifi ca-
tion program of its own. Because it represented such a wide variety of
constituents, the ICCP was hindered by the same internal divisions that
plagued the larger programming community. Rivalries among the con-
stituent member societies, many of whom were only superfi cially com-
mitted to the concept of certifi cation, doomed the organization to internal
confl ict and inactivity.
56
The failure of the various competing profes-
sional associations to cooperate crippled the ability of the ICCP to
develop meaningful certifi cation standards. No single program was able
to refl ect the diverse needs of the collective software community.
Furthermore, a series of highly critical assessments of the validity of the
CDP examinations weakened popular and industry support.
57
The ICCP
failed to present appealing alternative programs or examinations, and
the organization languished during the 1970s.
In response to the inability of the professional associations to establish
rigorous certifi cation programs, the SCDP adopted an approach to pro-
fessional standards that circumvented the ICCP altogether: state licensing
of computer professionals. The SCDP was a grassroots organization of
CDP holders dedicated to improving the status and legitimacy of the
CDP program. Founded by the self-professed gadfl y Kenniston W. Lord,
the SCDP frequently challenged the wisdom and authority of associa-
tions such as the DPMA and the ICCP. For many years, Lord and his
fellow SCDP member Alan Taylor carried out a vituperative verbal
campaign against the DPMA (and later the ICCP) in the pages of the
weekly newspaper
Computerworld
.
58
Taylor, a popular columnist for
Computerworld
, accused the DPMA of running the CDP examinations
as a profi t-making enterprise rather than an independent professional
development program.
59
When the SCDP was denied formal representa-
tion in the ICCP in 1973, Lord proposed what was effectively a govern-
ment takeover of responsibility for programmer certifi cation. Unlike the
certifi cation programs voluntarily adopted by individuals and associa-
tions, however, government licensing would be mandatory. Since it is
illegal to practice a licensed profession without the prior approval of the
state, entry into that profession could be tightly controlled and moni-
tored. Licensing would provide both control and protection as well as a
certain degree of public recognition and legitimacy.
