(Part six in a seven-part series about careers in Emergency Management.)
If the market for Emergency Managers is a moving target, it is somewhat because of the blurry distinction between a generalist and a specialist.
An emergency management generalist is trained to do everything involved with an emergency management program. An emergency management specialist is trained or educated or experienced to do one thing very, very well in support of the generalists.
The problem there, of course, is that one doesn't generally realize they want to be a specialist until they are one. Few students embark on any professional journey knowing where they are going to arrive. Specialities are built on aptitude and interest and expand with training and experience.
SPECIALISTS
Some emergency managers just fall into their speciality. Like ... Art Botterell, who tried to solve a communication problem when he was at the California Office of Emergency Services and wound up playing a leadership role in developing EDIS and the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP). He is now considered a nationally recognized expert in alert and warning and was called a "national asset" by none other than James Lee Witt himself.
Other emergency managers become a specialist by seeking out additional education or training in a specific field. Like the MS in Disaster Medicine and Management at the Philadelphia University*. Or the certificate of achievement in Disaster Mental Health from the State University of New York (New Paltz)*.
CERTIFICATES
Then there are those who are already skilled in some other field and want to become familiar or proficient in general emergency management principles. For those folks, a lot of the stand-alone certificate programs are the key, because they assume you already have the basics. Most of those programs are on-line. In fact, distance learning - especially with the newer web conferencing programs - is quickly becoming the instructional method of choice.
Even if the content is similar, there is still a time/credit difference, depending on the university. For example, the basic, online, undergraduate certificate in Emergency Management from Western Washington University* is 24 credits; the online graduate certificate in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Public University* is 18 credit units; the online certificate in Emergency Management Planning and Administration at Lakeland Community College* in Kirtland, Ohio is 28 credit units.
Sometimes, you can find a certificate and speciality in the same program, like the online certificate in Emergency Management and Continuity Planning from the University of Illinois, Chicago*, or the online certificate in Risk and Emergency Management at Indiana University, Purdue*.
HOMELAND SECURITY
So, where does Homeland Security fit into all this? It really doesn't.
The concept of higher ed programs in "Homeland Security" is a post-911 phenomena, fueled by campuses scrambling for DHS money. Often "emergency management" and "homeland security" are used interchangeably, but the educational programs are often very different.
Don't take my word for it ... go look at the program/course descriptions!
(*These programs were taken randomly from The College List on the FEMA Higher Ed Program site. Not playing favorites. Honest!)
PREVIOUS: The Market for Emergency Managers: Competency vs. Mastery
NEXT: The Market for Emergency Manaagers: Incorporating Homeland Security
Top
If the market for Emergency Managers is a moving target, it is somewhat because of the blurry distinction between a generalist and a specialist.
An emergency management generalist is trained to do everything involved with an emergency management program. An emergency management specialist is trained or educated or experienced to do one thing very, very well in support of the generalists.
The problem there, of course, is that one doesn't generally realize they want to be a specialist until they are one. Few students embark on any professional journey knowing where they are going to arrive. Specialities are built on aptitude and interest and expand with training and experience.
SPECIALISTS
Some emergency managers just fall into their speciality. Like ... Art Botterell, who tried to solve a communication problem when he was at the California Office of Emergency Services and wound up playing a leadership role in developing EDIS and the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP). He is now considered a nationally recognized expert in alert and warning and was called a "national asset" by none other than James Lee Witt himself.
Other emergency managers become a specialist by seeking out additional education or training in a specific field. Like the MS in Disaster Medicine and Management at the Philadelphia University*. Or the certificate of achievement in Disaster Mental Health from the State University of New York (New Paltz)*.
CERTIFICATES
Then there are those who are already skilled in some other field and want to become familiar or proficient in general emergency management principles. For those folks, a lot of the stand-alone certificate programs are the key, because they assume you already have the basics. Most of those programs are on-line. In fact, distance learning - especially with the newer web conferencing programs - is quickly becoming the instructional method of choice.
Even if the content is similar, there is still a time/credit difference, depending on the university. For example, the basic, online, undergraduate certificate in Emergency Management from Western Washington University* is 24 credits; the online graduate certificate in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Public University* is 18 credit units; the online certificate in Emergency Management Planning and Administration at Lakeland Community College* in Kirtland, Ohio is 28 credit units.
Sometimes, you can find a certificate and speciality in the same program, like the online certificate in Emergency Management and Continuity Planning from the University of Illinois, Chicago*, or the online certificate in Risk and Emergency Management at Indiana University, Purdue*.
HOMELAND SECURITY
So, where does Homeland Security fit into all this? It really doesn't.
The concept of higher ed programs in "Homeland Security" is a post-911 phenomena, fueled by campuses scrambling for DHS money. Often "emergency management" and "homeland security" are used interchangeably, but the educational programs are often very different.
Don't take my word for it ... go look at the program/course descriptions!
(*These programs were taken randomly from The College List on the FEMA Higher Ed Program site. Not playing favorites. Honest!)
PREVIOUS: The Market for Emergency Managers: Competency vs. Mastery
NEXT: The Market for Emergency Manaagers: Incorporating Homeland Security
