Becoming a professional genealogist is a career suited to those people who have a passion for puzzles and love research. If you are interested in doing research, conducting interviews, reading old court documents or pouring through dusty ledgers, birth records, marriage certificates and death obituaries in order to uncover family secrets, undiscovered family history or the occasional link to fame then you just may be suited toward a career in professional genealogy.
Have you ever heard of someone called a “professional genealogist”? Are you familiar with what genealogy is? Most people have heard of people who have decided to take up the hobby of searching for ancestors in their family tree to find out if they might discover someone famous way back in history that they can claim as being related to themselves but for the most part most of us probably are not aware that genealogy is now a profession and that people actually make good money while at the same time enjoying what they are doing to make that money.
The time required to become a professional genealogist varies and involves becoming educated, doing volunteer research into family genealogy and involves joining professional associations in order to improve skills and to network with other Professional Genealogists.
Those individuals interested in Professional Genealogy put in the time to learn their craft so they become educated in the art of conducting and preserving research and they also take the time to acquire the knowledge necessary to become a practicing genealogist. To become educated in the field of genealogy they have to take genealogy classes, attend workshops and seminars, read the many genealogical magazines available, or buy or borrow books and journals on the subject.
Genealogy is one of those topics that tends to lend itself to never being able to allow those practicing it to become fully knowledgeable as new techniques are always being developed to perfect the skills needed to uncover facts about the past lives of those people being investigated.
How do you get into the field of genealogy?
Many people who desire to work in the field of genealogy volunteer at their local genealogical society and help other members out when conducting their own research so that they can stay in touch with the latest development in tools, to strengthen skills, or to network with others active in the field of genealogy. Being a member of a society is also an excellent way of networking and picking up contacts for future work.
If you are serious about becoming a practicing genealogist then you should consider applying for certification or accreditation by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), an organization that grants certification in research. The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) offers accreditation in the field of geology.
Individuals practicing genealogy may have various levels of accreditation including being a licensed genealogist, which simply means the person strives to comply with local laws regarding businesses that are specific to the genealogy profession. Individuals in this category may refer to themselves as being licensed or certified, even if they do not have a certificate.
If you are looking for a professional genealogist then do your due diligence and ensure you check the person’s credentials carefully. Anyone can state they are a professional genealogist but this does not mean they have the background or education to have achieved any type of certification or accreditation from a professional genealogy organization.
An individual that has completed an accreditation programs and taken a test administered by the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists, and who sign a code of ethics and are responsible for renewing their accreditation every five (5) years are called “accredited genealogists”. Certified genealogists have taken the test by the Board for Certification of Genealogists in Canada, in the U.S. and other places around the world and have passed these tests.
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