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Michael Byrnes is the executive director of certification operations at ASQ and spoke at The ASSEMBLY Show about unlocking your potential and how ASQ certifications accelerate career growth and talks with Quality about certifications, and in particular, how certifications enhance people's careers, benefit the collective community, and really add value to society as a whole.

Michelle: So, to start off with, what common questions do people have for you about ASQ certifications? Is there anything that comes up more often?

Michael: Absolutely. Some of the most critical questions we get asked about certifications are what's the value of a certification? What preparation do I need to take a certification? And sometimes, how do I go about actually taking the certification exam itself? So, my advice to people when we talk to them is more about, why do you want to go on a journey to earn a credential, especially in credentials which are international?

So, they're a gold standard in the world and they're a credibility enhancer. And there are salary benefits to it. But there's also leadership, intangible benefits, to a credential. And most folks are really scared to take the first step. And I think it's important to realize that you're not alone.

If this is your first time taking a certification in many years, you're not alone. Many people have come out of college, got into industry many years later, found themselves in a quality role, and now they're ready to take their career to the next level. The advice I would say is prepare. Be consistent, read the body of knowledge and trust in the process and be consistent, especially with study planning.

And also pace yourself. It's not a sprint, but a marathon for taking the certification. So, ramping up to take a five-hour examination takes time, patience, and a refresher of your skills and knowledge that you may have acquired back in college, that you have now absolutely forgotten. So that's kind of my advice.

And then work with ASQ. We have the resources. We have question banks. We've got e-learning. We've got books. Everything you can imagine to help you be successful in your career and your certification journey.