[Closed] Letters after your name – do you?

i could use the following letters after my name:

My name BA(Hons) BTP MRTPI MCIHT MPIA

but i dont as it is silly...like a few others on here i'm in planning and architecture and there is no industry standard saying what you should do. With 20 years experience in this sector, it is assumed that you know what you doing and dont need to include your quali's on business cards, email sign off etc.

On a related note, i also dropped my title and group (Associate Director, Planning and Advisory) at work off my email sign and business card. I can now talk to potential clients at functions etc without them having a preconceived idea of my background or title - i prefer it this way.

I am afraid to say, that there is an element of British inverse snobbery / playing down achievement in our societal attitudes to academic and professional qualifications 🙁

At one extreme, many of us have expressed horror at the riots, the level (utter absence) of responsibility being shown to others, with subsequent moral hand wringing about parenting, poor education and opportunity and the general ills of society.

But then we have this British attitude which does not celebrate academic and / or professional achievement - where the role models put up are over-paid footballers, rappers or whatever. Where my son has had to be pulled up because him and his primary school peers regard anyone with a degree / professional job as posh or toffs (it's ok, he's been straightened out on that one now 😉

Calling someone an "engineer" for collecting the bins or repairing the fridge dismisses the value of calling someone an Engineer for designing and building our vital new infrastructure, or pioneering new and inventive technologies... 😡

When I have worked in Europe there has been considerable RESPECT given and received for a person's qualifications and abilities.

Outside of the UK, qualifications like C Eng / C Geol (or PE and PG equivalents in N America) count for an awful lot, not just in career progression, but also in terms of ability to secure contracts and to secure Professional Indemnity insurance.

Rantette over 😀

I stick my qualifications after my name on my business card and on my work email signature purely because I work in an industry where that sort of thing is expected. Besides, a lot of effort and money went into achieving them so why be coy?

[i] use my 'Dr.' prefix for services, utilities and other situations where a bit of respect comes in handy.[/i]

Second that. A friend (also with a PhD) claimed it brought her car insurance premium down, but I'm not sure I buy that one!

I never book flights as a Dr, for fear of some life threatening situation resulting in me having to explain to the cabin crew that it may well say I'm a Dr on the passenger list, but some protein structures interpreting at 30000 ft, I'm probably not much use to them.

I stick my qualifications after my name on my business card and on my work email signature purely because I work in an industry where that sort of thing is expected

And that's the key thing - normal practice. I don't ever use the letters because it'd not be normal and it makes you look like a muppet.

rkk01 makes some good points though it's not something that we're going to change quickly and adding letters after your name isn't going to be the driver for it 🙂

Job title only in work correspondence. When it's to do with the Mental Health Act I will add the RN(MH) bit because in those cases the specific part of the nursing register I am on is required by the law.

I have a BA too which most people I work with or have met in the last 10 years don't even know about, completely pointless me shoehorning in a reference to my impressive knowledge of French cinema and absurdist theatre let alone putting another 2 letters after my name. (never did the 'hons', opted to have more fun in 3rd and 4th year 😀 )

One of my friends is a Clinical Psychologist and although he could be if he wanted, he is never ever 'Dr A' for anything at work (too many 'real' doctors work with him for a start!), but he uses it for car insurance purposes too. I laughed.

No one ever asks to see qualifications after your 1st couple of jobs, just make up what you like, I've always upped a few grades on CV's. 😛

RN(MH) here too 🙂 only ever on MHA stuff and managerial type letters.

Outside of the UK, qualifications like C Eng / C Geol (or PE and PG equivalents in N America) count for an awful lot, not just in career progression, but also in terms of ability to secure contracts and to secure Professional Indemnity insurance.

My experience is UK, Aus and NZ - Aus and NZ do not seem overly fussed about quoting qualifications - you need to show evidence of them for immigration purposes and employers have asked to see them but in my collection of 2-300 business cards, not many include quali's.

I don't have any so can't add anything constructive to this **** waving exersize, probably makes me unintelligent and and a bit thick. 😆

[i]Grad IOSH. MIIRSM. AIEMA. MIIAI. DipNEBOSH. EnvDipNEBOSH[/i]

Yeah, shawaddywaddy made some good songs didn't they?

I've finished the 2 year FdSc (foundation degree) of outdoor adventurous activities and still have another academic year to bump it up to full.

One slacker from my class was referring to himself as Jack Evans FdSc and another was talking about how he now had a degree!

I think your letters are only relevant on your CV, otherwise you're the same as anyone else.

I don't have any so can't add anything constructive to this **** waving exersize, probably makes me unintelligent and and a bit thick.

SiB CPT (Cycling Profiency Test)

Grad IOSH. MIIRSM. AIEMA. MIIAI. DipNEBOSH. EnvDipNEBOSH

Yeah, shawaddywaddy made some good songs didn't they?

Brilliant as always Samuri.

I don't suppose you fancy moving back to New Mills do you? Moved to NZ but can't sell the house on White Rd. Going cheap!