The “Era of Certificate Trading” as seen by an “unlicensed” architect”

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This post was last edited by “Hasty Passerby” on January 19, 2019, at 14:52. “The Era of Certificate Dependency” as seen through the eyes of an “unlicensed” architect. Certificates have become deeply ingrained in the Chinese mindset; from birth certificates, graduation certificates, degree certificates, marriage certificates, to property ownership certificates, a person may accumulate over 140 certificates throughout their lifetime. To put it simply, if we consider the first-level registration certificate as a commodity, then its demand, supply, and liquidity collectively determine its value. Given that the other two factors remain unchanged: as demand increases, the value of the certificate also increases ； Supply has decreased, while the value of certificates has risen ； The liquidity decreases, while the value of the certificates rises. After forced cancellation of such affiliations, the circulation capacity will inevitably **decrease**. At the same time, due to the strict verification requirements associated with the requirement that identities and certificates match, some affiliation certificates that do not meet these standards are removed from the market, resulting in a reduction in supply. With overall market demand remaining unchanged, the value of these certificates is bound to rise significantly under such circumstances. In other words, the value of architects who can work with a license is bound to skyrocket. 00 I’m an architect. Later, I returned to my hometown and became a civil servant. Now, I lead a very leisurely life. I have been taking the exam for a First-Class Registered Architect for five years; finally, I am just one subject away from passing it. You ask me why I took the certification exam? Find an organization to be affiliated with; after all, it’s still tens of thousands of yuan per year. Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances arose. After the issuance of the “Notice by the General Office of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Others on Conducting a Special Rectification Campaign Against Illegal Acts Such as ‘Certificate Leasing’ by Professional and Technical Personnel in the Field of Engineering Construction”, I began to hesitate about whether to proceed with the certification exam. After all, following the introduction of the stringent requirement for matching personal identity with professional qualifications, even if I pass the certification exam, it might still be useless. There’s no way I’d go back to doing design work. Wait!! Why is it impossible? Since the strict implementation of the system requiring that a person’s identity matches their registration, a large number of registration certificates will inevitably become useless. Yet there are still numerous design institutes in the market. Wouldn’t unemployed architects like me, who hold the required certificates, become highly sought-after? The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. To verify my thoughts, on my birthday, I invited a few old friends over for a meal. And they are all architects who are active on the front lines of design. 01 Lao Zhao – a certified professional and the deputy director of one of the branches of the largest state-owned enterprise design institute in the southwest. Lao Zhao is the type of person with low emotional intelligence who focuses on technical aspects; yet he happens to work in a state-owned enterprise. He passed the exam for first-level registered architect in two years; thanks to his strong design skills, he became a project leader in three years and deputy director in five years – he was the one among his peers with the fastest career progression. It was also because of his overly straightforward personality and lack of social skills that he remained stuck in the same position five years after becoming deputy director. Lao Zhao really agrees with my idea; he’s doing the same thing himself. Since the notice regarding the crackdown on those who hold multiple certificates was issued, he has been looking into various options and plans to switch to a smaller design company after the New Year. After all, having a certificate displayed in the institute basically has no value at all; there are plenty of people in the institute who hold such certificates. The outside world is different; after all, there aren’t many people who can work with a license and possess a high level of technical skill like oneself. Lao Zhao’s face was filled with happiness as he held the future firmly in his hands. 02 Lao Luo — Certified professional — works at the planning bureau of a third-tier city. Lao Luo is a person with extremely high emotional intelligence, and he did very well in the Planning Bureau. His registration certificate is held by a design company in the city, and he earns tens of thousands of yuan each year from it. After the issuance of the “Notice”, he immediately informed the design company that the registration certificate would be revoked, asking them to come up with an alternative solution as soon as possible. After all, seven departments – the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Railway Administration, and the Civil Aviation Administration – are participating jointly in this effort to address the issue, which demonstrates the determination behind this campaign. After all, I still work in a government agency, so it’s important to set a good example. It’s just a shame that the certification I obtained can no longer bring any real value to me. Lao Luo sighed inwardly. 03 Chen – currently preparing for professional certifications – Project Leader at a creative department within one of the top three private design firms. Chen is quite young; he seems mature beyond his years. Just two years after graduation, he was able to lead a team and take charge of projects independently. They can stay up late to lead the team in arranging text and finalizing renderings; they can also charge forward to negotiate projects and win over clients. Truly, they’re full of vigor and spirit. Regarding the notice aimed at cracking down on those who hold certificates without actually meeting the requirements, Chen seemed indifferent. He had taken the certification exam simply to prove his capabilities, and he planned to keep the certificate in his own company; he wasn’t concerned about how much money he could earn by having that certificate. I’ve heard that many architects who have passed the exam dare not sign off on documents, because the exam is one thing, but they simply lack the competence and confidence to do so. 04 Old Joe – pursuing certifications – founder and chief architect of a personal firm. Old Joe is probably the most anxious one among us guys. My own firm’s projects are progressing well, and I’ve made quite a bit of money over these past few years. As soon as the “Notice” allowing for the punishment of “certificate lending” was issued, Old Qiao went ballistic. My own office is very small; in the past I would have friends who held registration certificates work under my name. For that reason, it took me five years to pass just two of the required certifications, and for almost three years I signed up for the exams without actually taking them. Getting a certification isn’t as rewarding as simply making more money. It’s now impossible to keep the license; this is a devastating blow for Old Joe. I could take the exam myself, but there isn’t enough time left. Moreover, I haven’t studied or taken any exams for several years now, so I’ve become quite rusty at it. Either hire an architect with a license, but their fees are so high that Joe can hardly afford them; and Joe happens to be a rather stingy boss. “Old Joe, how about I work for you? A salary of one million a year will be fine. ”Old Zhao said to Old Qiao, grinning. “Fuck that million bucks; I’ll take the exam on my own. ”Old Joe looked annoyed. “In that case, you just give me 600,000 and I’ll work for you. ”Lao Luo also joined the ranks of those criticizing Old Joe. Old Joe didn’t respond; I just watched and smiled from the side. Suddenly, Old Joe turned to me and looked at me with sincerity. “If you pass the registration exam next year, I’ll pay you 300,000 per year – come work for me. ” “Damn it, they’re offering six hundred thousand to one million, while I’m only worth three hundred thousand. Forget it; change your attitude first before trying to recruit me again. ”. . . . . . 05 Lao Yang wasn’t at tonight’s gathering; he is currently exploring the field of architectural design technology and spends most of his time traveling between Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and abroad. It’s a shame for him actually; if he had pursued design, he would have had his own company and achieved financial freedom by now. I called him to ask his opinion on the practice of \"using certificates without actual competence,\" and he dismissed it as unimportant: the subjects required for the exam to become a first-class registered architect are things that people will not need to use in design work in the future; those mechanical, repetitive design steps will simply be replaced. And the registration certificate, whether it can be used for affiliation or not, will merely be a piece of paper with no value in the future. I can’t quite understand what he’s saying; I feel like we belong to two different worlds. But perhaps he’s the only one among us who can change the world. “The era of \"using certificates to fake qualifications\" is over; what will the next era bring? Let’s wait and see.