But when it ended in the summer of 2009, she found that she couldn't get back into the field without her certification for early-childhood education.

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The designers expect their creation to be the first airline terminal in the country to get an official green stamp of approval, in the form of a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

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The resort was recently awarded Green Globe certification, not because it set out to get it, but because the recognition was a by-product of doing things right.

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It allows them to continue preparing tax returns this tax season without having to get permission from the IRS. This is the best of both worlds preparers who value the certification can still obtain it, but no tax preparer is forced to get a government permission slip to earn a living.

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If you want to get work in the tech field then consider getting a free Google certification where you can learn about GoogleAd Words, search advertising, and report and analysis tactics.

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The benefit of a voluntary certification, Alban points out, is that consumers get to make their own choices rather than relying on a regulatory body.

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For instance, if a San Francisco broker-dealer wants an equity sales trader with both a series 7 and series 63 certification (exams that designate a particular knowledge set and the ability to get state registration to solicit debt and equity orders), and a transferable book of business, they can tailor a search for exactly those needs on StreetID.

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In the suburban city of roughly 58, 000 people, the primary concerns have focused on additional traffic and environmental impact, both of which Apple says it is addressing in the design of the campus, which is expected to get LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification as an environmentally friendly project.

CNN: Doug Gross,