The Certified Archivist exam

I'm going to take the CA exam for the first time ever in oh, what is it now? A month? Yep. Just under. This is the first year I'm both eligible and living within a couple of hours of a test site. When I applied, I wasn't convinced I needed or wanted the certification. What does it mean, really? It seems like a lot of people have pondered that very question and I haven't seen any really good answers. I asked co-workers who have the certification and got a few eloquent shrugs. So why am I putting myself through this?

I'll admit, when I first heard about the certification, I was new to my job and had high hopes for moving upward. I thought it could only help to be certified. Four years later, the stars have aligned so that I can actually take the exam and I feel a lot more jaded. I don't need the certification to keep my job and the competition is fierce for the few jobs out there right now. I haven't seen much call for the certification on job postings, though it does appear under preferred qualifications from time to time. I know a lot of people who didn't pass the first or even the second time. The reading list is lengthy. The $50 application fee in and of itself was almost a sufficient deterrent and, if I pass, the $150 certification fee will hurt. But I wrote the check and sent it in because I am looking for a professional position and what if - what if - this is the little thing that pushes my application over the edge? I need that hope and the opportunity to feed that little bit of hope is well worth the study time and the drive to the test site and the application fee.