As part of my continuing series on genealogical institute courses, I asked my friend Mary Kathryn Kozy to share her perspective on the most recent course offered by the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research. "Genetic Genealogy for Professional Genealogists" was taught by Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD, and will soon be available for purchase and download.
Review of "Genetic Genealogy for Professional Genealogists"
By Mary Kathryn Kozy
Webinars are a terrific way to increase our knowledge and
help us in our personal and professional genealogical pursuits. The Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research (VIGR) is offering wonderful courses by leaders in many
genealogical fields. I recently attended Genetic
Genealogy for Professional Genealogists taught by Blaine Bettinger, a
well-known leader in genetic genealogy. Since I teach classes on DNA topics in
my community, I was anxious to learn a little more about what professional
genetic genealogists do, and I can’t recommend it highly enough!
If you’re unfamiliar with the format of VIGR’s courses, the
first half is typically offered in two 90-minute presentations with a short
break in between on the first day. Homework is then assigned that will be
reviewed during one of the two remaining lectures the following week. Some
courses have a different schedule, and are taught one presentation per week
for four consecutive weeks. Blaine’s course also allowed students to purchase a
“plus” session which included a further homework assignment that could be
anonymously reviewed during an additional one-hour webinar.
Here are just some of the topics included in this great
four-session course:
- Why become a professional genetic genealogist?
- Ways to incorporate DNA services into your professional genealogical practice
- Issues you will face as a genetic genealogist
- Client contracts and avoiding conflicts
- Finding clients
- Educating yourself and your clients
- Writing client reports
What this class didn’t
cover was the basics of DNA testing. It was assumed that students already had
that knowledge. For those who want to delve more into autosomal DNA, there’s
another VIGR course taught by Blaine entitled (Finally!)
Understanding Autosomal DNA.
Now I’m not currently a professional genealogist, but I do
want to be one when I grow up! So even though this course dealt with aspects of
adding DNA to one’s professional practice, there was still plenty of terrific information
for genealogists like me. While I might never have a paying client, the
suggestions given for how to create a contract, as well as the information on
how to educate a client about their results was invaluable. In working with DNA
results, it’s a sure thing that we will inevitably face sensitive and
unexpected results. Blaine provided great counsel on how to handle these
situations. The additional “plus” session gave students a chance to evaluate a
client’s test results, write a basic report, and get feedback from Blaine on
those reports, which was also indispensable. I particularly enjoyed this session,
since it allowed me to learn from the other great genealogists in the class.
If you’ve even considered adding DNA testing analysis or
other DNA services to your professional practice, then you will definitely want
to take this course. By the end I had not only had some great “aha!” moments,
but I’d also received a boost in confidence that perhaps I can do this one day!
Mary
Kathryn Kozy is a rabid genealogist of long standing. She has a B.S. in
Zoology and a B.S. in Information Systems and Technology. She has
recently completed the Mastering Genealogical Proof study group and is
working her way through the ProGen Study Program in ProGen 24. She enjoys lecturing on a number of
genealogical topics, but is most frequently requested to speak on DNA.
Mary has served on the board of several genealogical societies and is
the recent past president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of
Washington State.
