Thread by @eleanormharris

I look like a chartered forester! It's been a six year process to pass my @TheICF entry, but I'm now Dr Eleanor Harris MICFor.

Why did I do it? I started for reasons of confidence and identity: as a historian and environmentalist who has never wielded a chainsaw or successfully shot a deer, I wanted to be able to demonstrate I belonged in this tribe. But it turned out much more substantive 2/

A professional qualification is completely different from a PhD. The work record is just "doing your job" - but having to categorise it and have it signed off by your manager for 3 years really makes you consider your skills and what you are competent in (and what you aren't). 3/

The CPD record and CV makes you how your own story adds value to your profession. No more "I'm really just a historian not a forester sorry", but rather "training in history gives me unique insights into integrated land use, community development and natural capital strategy" 4/

The Critical Analysis - a 3000 word reflection on a piece of work you've done - I found fairly easy because I critically analyse everything I do ALL THE BLOODY TIME. But it's good to be in a tribe where this is managed as a vital and constructive element of self-development. 5/

Chartered foresters sign up to a code of conduct, and must pass an e-learning module considering ethical problems you might encounter in your work. I really enjoyed this: it's made me reflect on many work situations in a different & more conscious way. 6/ charteredforesters.org/memberships/cp…

Finally, there's an interview which brings it all together. You're asked about any element of your submission, plus the all-important health & safety - forestry can be a dangerous profession, and even us office-based strategists have to play our part in making it safer. 7/

So maybe I began because letters after my name would give me confidence going into a room - but now I'd recommend it for a much more important reason, that it's changed me. I've had to get out of my comfort zones, think things through, and become more rounded. 8/

Other foresters will start from different places and learn different things on the journey. Most of my colleagues in the @Galbraith_EDI office are doing a different qualification - Chartered Surveyor - which is different in essentials but the same in essence. 9/

If you have a chance to be chartered in your profession, take it. If your profession doesn't have a chartered body, create one. And if you're working with professionals - that's what the "postnomials" mean - and we can be held to account if we fall short. 10/10

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