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Subject:Re: a college degree From:kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 31 Dec 2001 06:08:25 -0700
I'm not sure if you're asking whether you should get a degree in technical
communications (or whatever your college-du-jour calls it), or just get a
degree of any kind.
I don't think a tech writing degree is necessary. This profession is made
up primarily of career-changers who used to do something else, so there is
no standardized educational pedigree established that makes you an
"official" tech writer. At least not yet.
Just having a college degree (in any subject) is helpful in a job hunt.
Lots of places require it, even if your degree is in a field unrelated to
your targeted job. We could argue how much sense that makes, but it's a
reality, particularly for salaried jobs. (My degree is a Bachelor of Music
in Percussion Performance, which basically means I know how to hit things.
But I still got a job - go figure.)
If you've already got tons of experience, I wouldn't worry about getting a
degree. But if you're a newbie, and/or if you have an opportunity to get a
college degree, I'd go for it.
- Keith Cronin
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