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Is street smarts or book smarts more important? This is an age-old question. I have asked this question hundreds of times during my 24-year career in the restoration industry, and the answer is very predictable. The people with street smarts are convinced that street smarts are more important and the people with book smarts are convinced that book smarts are more important.
Before I give my answer, I want to make sure everyone understands the question. What we are really talking about here is knowledge and experience. Is knowledge or experience more important? I guess in some industries one may be more important than the other, but I wouldn’t know since I have never been in any other industry. I do know that in the restoration industry, to be successful, we need both.
The restoration industry is so diverse and complex that anyone wishing to grow and succeed in this industry needs to have a vast amount of knowledge and experience. Think about it. We have to excel at water, fire, mold, and bio restoration, and we have to be ready to perform these services in every type of structure, residential, commercial, and industrial. I don’t know of another industry that requires such a diverse and vast amount of knowledge and experience.
The great news is that the restoration industry offers numerous opportunities for us to expand both our knowledge and our experience.
Every service the restoration industry provides has a standard of care. These standards are created and published by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, Restoration, and Certification (IICRC).
The current standard for water restoration is the ANSI/IICRC S500-2021 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration, 5th edition.
The current standard for fire restoration is the ANSI/IICRC S700-2025 Standard for Professional Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration, 1st edition.
The current standard for mold remediation is the ANSI/IICRC S520-2024 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation, 4th edition.
The current standard for trauma and crime scene cleanup is the ANSI/IICRC S540-2023 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, 2nd edition.
These standards are not just books published by the IICRC; they have been accredited by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI). To receive ANSI accreditation, the IICRC had to develop the standards following ANSI’s process.
ANSI facilitates the development of American National Standards (ANS) by accrediting the procedures of standards developing organizations (SDOs) and approving their documents as American National Standards (ANS).
These standards should serve as the foundation of your knowledge in the restoration industry. They are available for sale in hard copy or online through the IICRC’ standard subscription portal.
There are numerous organizations, like the IICRC, that offer training classes. If you have never attended a training course, you are missing out on a wealth of knowledge available to you.
Experience also takes some initiative on our part. Be prepared to step up when the opportunity arises. When a storm, large loss, or complex loss comes in, be prepared to volunteer to a part of the team that responds.
This industry is hard, and many times it is dirty, but the opportunities are endless for those that have acquired both knowledge and experience.
Self-improvement should be a goal for all of us. Thrive to expand your knowledge and experience every day.
