Analysis and Skills Mentoring Program

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Permalink Reply by Paul Caverly on April 10, 2011 at 1:24pm

Good question Stephanie. A lot depends on how much genealogy experience you have. The Analysis and Skills Mentoring Program takes a little more effort and work. It has been 9 years since I did this course and we had to make phone contact with our instructor to go through some of our material. I suspect the contact could be a video conference now days. The Basic Courses should be easy, I know I was handling up to 3 courses at a time and going to work full time. As you move to intermediate and advance the courses do become more challenging but you still may find some you can breeze through depending upon your experience.

My job required me to travel sometimes but I found I could log on anywhere and do a little homework in the evenings while in a hotel. I started my 1^st course in 1999 and completed all my Canadian studies by 2003 and all my American studies by 2005. Today I am still taking some courses now; I think I am up to about 58. As you have probably noticed some courses outside of the specialized area count as optional course and also count towards other specialized certificates. As I was taking the required Canadian Certificate courses I also took some American Certificate course that counted as options for my Canadian Certificate. A lot of genealogy in North America has people researching both the USA and Canada. I have found some of the course for off shore certificates more challenging since I have not had the opportunity to use archives in person in these other countries. Having first hand experience is a great help in researching other countries. So, I have just taken Basic level course for England, Ireland and Scotland. I also took one in German but found I would need for experience to keep on with these.

I did have a slight financial advantage living in Canada where I could deduct some of the course costs on my taxes. I am not sure if those outside Canada would be allowed to do this.

Regards,

Paul Caverly

Permalink Reply by Stephanie F on April 10, 2011 at 2:13pm

Thank you, Paul, for your insight! I really appreciate it!

 

So far, I've completed Methodology Parts 1 & 2, Electronic Resources: Using the Internet, and US Vital Records: Understanding and Using the Records. I'm taking three this session, but I know that I'll have to start slowing down once I get out of the areas that I'm familiar. In fact, I have to admit that I've never used a Family History Center, so it will be a new experience with this upcoming class! I'm looking forward to it though, and I am blessed that I have several centers within an easy drive so I have options as to where I will visit.

 

I've been tossing up what electives I would take to finish out the certificate, and I'm really torn. I have Irish, English, and Scottish lines in my family, though in my area German is very prevalent as well. I did just learn that it appears that one of my ancestors on my paternal side was a Loyalist, so now I'm wondering if that branch shoots off into Canada! Being that Ohio is so close I'm tempted to also study the Canadian courses. I think that most likely Canada will be the only country I have a shot at actually visiting! It didn't even cross my mind that it might be difficult to complete courses on other country's records without having hands-on experience. I think that starting genealogy during the 90s/00s brings the internet to mind for research over seas. Did you feel that it was too difficult to complete your English or Irish courses without travel? My original plan was to complete the courses for an additional certificate through using my electives and any additional courses, but now I'm realizing that I probably need a phone call to NIGS and some thought into it! :)

Permalink Reply by Brenda Wheeler, PLCGS on April 11, 2011 at 5:41pm

Hi Paul

Although it does not state that the instructor contact is available through a chat room, it is. Here in Australia I would not get many appointments for the Analysis & Skills Mentoring course if folk had to phone me! So, certainly, if you have an appointment, you could opt to have it in a chat room.

Brenda

Permalink Reply by Barb Starmans on April 10, 2011 at 2:04pm

Stephanie,

I've completed the basic and intermediate levels of Analysis and Skills and like Paul I've done them in parallel with other courses I'm taking.  Having said that, they are generally more intensive than the other courses with more material to cover and not something you can catch up on over a weekend.  There is a reason why they give you longer to complete them than the other courses!  The chat sessions to disccus the articles being studied with other students are valuable and there are conferences with the instructor once or twice throughout the course.  My appointment for the intermediate level a couple of months ago was via phone (no video yet Paul) although to save the cost of the phone call, I did use Skype to make the call :-).  I'm now enrolled in the advance level A&S course and I've limited myself to one other course per month while I'm doing this, partly because I'm in the process of putting together a portfolio for BCG certification at the moment and partly to allow a little time for 'fun' research.    It's really too bad I have to work for a living - there would be so much more time for genealogy without my work schedule! 

I started out taking my first course to learn about a record type I wasn't familiar with and it led to another course and then another course and before I knew it, I was working on the certificates.  I'm doing the last couple of courses for the British certificate with some Canadian thrown in as electives.  Once I've done the British, I'll probably move on to the rest of the Canadian.  Like Paul, I enjoy the courses and who can say no to a tax deduction!

Permalink Reply by Stephanie F on April 10, 2011 at 2:26pm

I wish that we had the option of a tax deduction! ;)

 

Thank you so much, Barb, for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it. It helps me understand what might be involved. I have to say that I'm really looking forward to the A&SMP courses. Actually, I'm looking most forward to those, Religious Records, Migration, and Paleography. I have been drooling over those since reading the descriptions! I'd like to eventually become certified as well, so it's nice to see how you are balancing courses with completing your portfolio.

 

Did you have any difficulties with foreign record courses as Paul mentioned? I'm so torn with what electives I might want to try. I wish that there was a Jewish Genealogy certificate so that I could eventually make some headway on my husband's tree! Maybe one day in some new courses it will appear. :)

Permalink Reply by Barb Starmans on April 10, 2011 at 3:18pm

Stephanie,

All of my ancestors (and therefore all of my research) are from England so I've been taking the British courses.  I haven't found the distance to be a problem in any way.  Between online resources (I shamelessly subscribe to both Ancestry and Find My Past and get my money's worth out of both) and the online access to archives and various archive catalogues on line and the Family History Centres, I've been able to access records as easily (or maybe easier) than my distant cousins who live in England!

If you haven't been to a FHC, you have to give it a try, especially if you have some UK ancestors.  Their microfilmed records are amazing! 

I've been to England only once, last year but after a couple of trips to the FHL in Salt Lake City, I've decided to make that an annual trip.  They have better facilities and easier access to the records in England than there is on site.  For instance, on my trip last year, I went to the Isle of Wight and although I did spend some time at the IOW record office, I went through far more of their material on microfilm through my local FHC and my prior trip to the FHL in Utah.  On my next visit to England I plan to spend more time touring and probably very little in local archives - it is truely easier to look into the documents from home!

I also totally recommend the Paleography course.  It was very challenging but also very, very useful.  I've recently come across a branch of my family who despite having no money to speak of, seems to have made a tradition out of writing wills in the 1600's and 1700's.  I would absolutely not have been able to make out more than a word or two of the hand writing without that Paleography course.

I haven't had any experience in Jewish records - yet.  But there is this family story that one branch of my ancestores were originally Jewish....

If you do decide to branch out into Canadian or English courses, maybe we'll run into each other in a chat one day soon.

Barb

Permalink Reply by Stephanie F on April 11, 2011 at 4:36pm

I'd love to run into you online or in a chat! I've gotten to sit in on two so far, and I loved them. Maybe next time I'll get up enough nerve to actually use my webcam and microphone! ;)

 

It's great to hear that you haven't felt hindered by distance in respect to using foreign records. I'm still so torn with what would be the most useful. I'm so drawn to Scottish and Irish social history, though I know that I would probably be better off studying English records because of my ancestral lines. We'll see if I can find that elusive Irish or Scottish connection!

 

I'm so looking forward to the Paleography course! Someone was talking about it in a methodology chat that I was in, and I was practically drooling. I adore old documents. I have such a difficulty with the handwriting, though I am slowly getting better. I know that the course would help me out tremendously. I wish that there were more than one! One day I'll be on the level to complete it. Until then I'll drool over the Religious Records course that I'll take this summer.

 

My husband's ancestors are mostly all Russian Jews, so I have a feeling that I'll have my work cut out for me on that project! A friend suggested that I learn Russian. I have a feeling that I might have to do that! For instance, no one knows how to correctly spell the paternal family name because he chose to change it when he came to America. Because this is my husband's grandfather I'm starting out with a brick wall and not very many generations to work before hitting it. His mother's line gives me only an additional generation to work with! One line at a time...

 

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I'll have to see what surnames you're researching in case some of my English roots relate to yours!

Permalink Reply by Kimberly Nagy on May 25, 2011 at 6:55pm

I have just finished my basic level.  I did my A&S 1 concurrently with other courses.  It is recommended that you complete the methodology courses for each level before you start that A&S - in other words, complete met 1 & 2 before you start A&S 1, complete met 3,4,5 before your start A&S 2, etc.

You are allowed a year to finish the course - I completed in 3 months and most of that was downtime waiting for a live meeting or a scheduled instructor consultation.

When I signed up for the first consultation, I was only given a phone number to call.  For the second consultation, the instructor emailed me and asked if I'd like to try out the live meeting format for the consultation.  She made it sound like it was the first time the live meeting was used for that purpose.  I liked the live meeting format - it seemed a little more personal since we could see each other.

Kim