4 ms·

This credentialist mafia has infested my country. I'm at the point where I just do what I want and will deal with the consequences if they arise. I'm an owner/b

This credentialist mafia has infested my country. I'm at the point where I just do what I want and will deal with the consequences if they arise. I'm an owner/builder, I do my own electrics, plumbing, forklift driving etc. I believe this credentialist industry is mainly driven by insurance companies and anti-competitive megacorps.

ikiris 4y ago
I look forward to the future where even more houses were infested with people who thought they could do their own electric work safely. No, no I don't.
- noughtme 4y ago
  just because a homeowner does their own work, doesn't mean it won't be to code, or inspected. the irony is that in locales that require licenses, more unlicensed non-code compliant work is often done because there is no diy path. in many locales, building inspectors are readily available and happy to inspect homeowner work.
  - mjevans 4y ago
    Permits and Inspections are the critical aspect for safety. It's fine for a non-pro to DIY something that can be inspected and corrected before full use.
  - sircastor 4y ago
    I have a good friend who did a lot of his own electrical work recently and was praised by the inspector for his compliance with code and the work that he did. The fear is that without licensed professionals doing the work, the work will be done wrong. That’s absurd. To bring it a little closer to HN’s readership, those of us who program know that programmers, regardless of their formal education, can be amazing or terrible, and everything in-between. Training and licensure only promise that time has been spent by the individual, and the latter only really promises that someone can be legally paid for the work.
    - fy20 4y ago
      Case in point, in many European countries there are often no requirements for permitting and inspection of work done after homes have been completed (e.g. replacing a bathroom), and said homes are not falling down and/or death traps. The biggest issue we have here in not whether construction workers are skilled in their job, but whether they are reliable enough to turn up at the right time - but as I understand that's the same in the US too.
      - watwut 4y ago
        There is difference in regulations in EU between renovating bathroom and doing electricity.
- whiddershins 4y ago
  It’s really not that hard.
- rich_sasha 4y ago
  UK is in a weird place. Credentials are rarely required by law; rather "relevant experience and/or qualifications" is the usual bar. Of course some professions are heavily regulated, I'm not talking about those. But then, insurance is often required, or de facto required, and to get that, you need a qualification. IME this leads to a lot of professions staffed with poorly-trained people, often not much bothered by the job, with one piece of paper showing a low-quality qualification, and another showing professional indemnity. It also pushes actual regulation onto private entities with their own agendas, which possibly bothers me even more.
chrisdbanks 4y ago
The previous owners of our house did all the electrics and plumbing. So far we've had 3 major floods, an electrical fire, and the garage door cables snapped. I'm all for people actually having qualifications to show their training. You wouldn't want people driving around who'd never passed a driving test would you?
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
s1artibartfast 4y ago
Don't forget the influence of Industry groups. My favorite example is barbers. I can respect the value of having a barbers license two people that want to assure a minimum quality and training in their haircuts. I also find it absurd that as a consenting adult I can't pay someone to cut my hair without a year-long training and apprenticeship program.
kerpotgh 4y ago
[dead]

ikiris 4y ago

I look forward to the future where even more houses were infested with people who thought they could do their own electric work safely. No, no I don't.

noughtme 4y ago
just because a homeowner does their own work, doesn't mean it won't be to code, or inspected. the irony is that in locales that require licenses, more unlicensed non-code compliant work is often done because there is no diy path. in many locales, building inspectors are readily available and happy to inspect homeowner work.
- mjevans 4y ago
  Permits and Inspections are the critical aspect for safety. It's fine for a non-pro to DIY something that can be inspected and corrected before full use.
- sircastor 4y ago
  I have a good friend who did a lot of his own electrical work recently and was praised by the inspector for his compliance with code and the work that he did. The fear is that without licensed professionals doing the work, the work will be done wrong. That’s absurd. To bring it a little closer to HN’s readership, those of us who program know that programmers, regardless of their formal education, can be amazing or terrible, and everything in-between. Training and licensure only promise that time has been spent by the individual, and the latter only really promises that someone can be legally paid for the work.
  - fy20 4y ago
    Case in point, in many European countries there are often no requirements for permitting and inspection of work done after homes have been completed (e.g. replacing a bathroom), and said homes are not falling down and/or death traps. The biggest issue we have here in not whether construction workers are skilled in their job, but whether they are reliable enough to turn up at the right time - but as I understand that's the same in the US too.
    - watwut 4y ago
      There is difference in regulations in EU between renovating bathroom and doing electricity.
whiddershins 4y ago
It’s really not that hard.
rich_sasha 4y ago
UK is in a weird place. Credentials are rarely required by law; rather "relevant experience and/or qualifications" is the usual bar. Of course some professions are heavily regulated, I'm not talking about those. But then, insurance is often required, or de facto required, and to get that, you need a qualification. IME this leads to a lot of professions staffed with poorly-trained people, often not much bothered by the job, with one piece of paper showing a low-quality qualification, and another showing professional indemnity. It also pushes actual regulation onto private entities with their own agendas, which possibly bothers me even more.

chrisdbanks 4y ago

The previous owners of our house did all the electrics and plumbing. So far we've had 3 major floods, an electrical fire, and the garage door cables snapped. I'm all for people actually having qualifications to show their training. You wouldn't want people driving around who'd never passed a driving test would you?

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

s1artibartfast 4y ago

Don't forget the influence of Industry groups. My favorite example is barbers. I can respect the value of having a barbers license two people that want to assure a minimum quality and training in their haircuts. I also find it absurd that as a consenting adult I can't pay someone to cut my hair without a year-long training and apprenticeship program.

kerpotgh 4y ago

[dead]