DAVID Chen, a 32-year-old sales director in the food industry, has been steadfast in obtaining various professional certificates throughout the years as he believes they will help guarantee him a decent job.

Thus it shocked Chen when news came that some professional certificates were nullified in August and more will be called off later this year. He hopes that those he earned through tireless efforts do not become suddenly worthless.

“Sales is never a lifelong job. I have to prepare myself in case I should have to shift to another career sometime in the future. And I have always believed that those certificates will help open another gate for me,” says Chen.

The sales director has gained more than a dozen certificates, ranging from highly coveted ones such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) to more ordinary professional certificates like those for a nutritionist, insurance broker, real estate agent and advanced-level English interpreter.

The State Council announced on August 12 that 11 professional qualification certificates were being canceled, including the certificate of Certified Tax Agent (CTA), Certified Public Valuer (CPV), Enterprise Legal Adviser and others for real estate and land registration agents.

Though only one of Chen’s certificates is on the cancellation list so far, he is worried that more may be devalued in the future. The State Council said it would announce a new round of nullifications in November.

Professional qualification certificates got started in 1994 under the country’s Labor Law as a “scientific system” for evaluating talent. Within the past 20 years hundreds have been born in the name of providing standards for admittance to a profession.

Various organizations and companies provide services not only to train people to take the tests, but also for renting the certificates out to companies — an illegal but widespread practice.

Nancy Zheng, 22, a human resources worker at a state-owned company, just graduated this summer. She says that almost every one of her classmates was busy taking certification tests before graduation so they would be more competitive in job hunting.

“I don’t know to what level the certificates have helped. But I believe that I would definitely look dimmer if I didn’t have any other certificates besides my graduation certificate,” says Zheng, who got certificates for College English Test-6, National Computer Rank Examination Level-2 and accounting professional.

Likewise, Chen says he took certificates with him to every job interview and felt great confidence when showing them to interviewers.

“I believe that the certificates did at least impress the interviewers in some way,” he says.

Apart from helping in job applications, some certificates create a possible extra stream of income because they can be rented out to related companies. For example, to set up pharmacy companies, driving schools and construction firms, a certain number of staff members with related professional certificates are legally required. Without enough qualified employees, some of them just simply rent certificates as a cheaper alternative.

Certificates in particularly high demand are those for registered general contractor, structural engineer and electrical engineer. They can command annual rent prices from several thousand yuan to hundreds of thousands of yuan.

An architect may earn about 300,000 yuan (US$50,000) annually by working at a construction company, and he or she can usually earn another 200,000 yuan simply by renting out the registered architect certificate, says James Wang, president of a local training school for architecture-related qualification tests.

Wang’s school gives training courses for more than 10 kinds of architecture-related qualification tests to 1,000 to 2,000 students each year. He says many people who gain the certificates at least consider renting them out. “Who will reject that easy money?” says Wang.

The State Council’s decision to cancel some professional qualifications hasn’t doused people’s passion for getting those they think are truly worthwhile. Many believe that only some certificates of low value will be nullified — not those with “high gold content.”

Beyond that, many people believe that even if the certificates were denied, the knowledge they mastered in studying for the tests could never be denied.

“I did not attend the test simply for the paper, but to urge myself to study and gain more knowledge and skills,” says Steve Zheng, 30, a financial manager at a state-owned bank who gained the certificates of Associate Financial Planner (AFP), Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) during his eight years of work.

“The certificates may add value for me in the job market, but they did not give me an instant rise in position. I get more benefit in being equipped with more knowledge, which makes me more confident,” says Zheng.

Wang of the training school expresses confidence in the survival of the test-related industry, calling the qualification tests and certificates “a scientific and convenient way for employers to select the best candidates.”

“Surely there are very talented people without certificates, but how can they prove it to the employers within a very limited time in an interview?” he says.

Wang thinks the nullification of some of the questionable certificates may even have a silver lining by guiding people toward gaining higher-quality ones. The move will not end the passion for certificates in the short run, he says.

Shanghai sociologist Gu Xiaoming agrees that the move likely aims to regulate the qualification certificate market. But the question about how to measure one’s ability effectively is eternal, and the qualification tests and related certificates are just a natural outcome in men’s efforts to solve that problem, says Gu.

“We cannot say that the certificate is the only and ultimate way to solve the problem, but it is so far the fairest way in a world short of fairness,” he says.