Re: What's been the most valuable course you have taken?

["Laura A Mac Lemale" <lmaclemale -at- paychex -dot- com>]

Hello,

Lois asked, "However, what courses in particular have list members taken that
have proven immediately useful in actually getting a particular job or contract,
or increasing your salary/hourly rate? Also, is there any obvious preference for
knowledge gained from a course as opposed to knowledge gained from self-study?"

Great question Lois!  Interesting responses, all.

I think the most valuable course I have taken would have to be a graduate course
entitled, "Proposal Writing" at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy,
NY.  (Though I didn't always agree with the professor's methods,) this course
really affected my approach to writing in general.  For me it was one of those
courses that feels like a battle and when you get to the end, you really feel
like you've accomplished something.  And my writing definitely improved.  (One of
the texts was the great "Style:  Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace" by Joseph
Williams.)

Another challenging RPI course was "Typography," in which we immersed ourselves
in the topic and even created our own fonts.  That one was tough, but it
definitely appealed to the creative side.

Although I believe that I'm done with formal education, I still continue to seek
out resources for self-study.  IMHO, the benefits of self-study depend on the
student's ability to focus on new material and to be self-motivated.  Some people
find motivation in the classroom; others find this on their own at their own
pace.  Also, much of what I've learned as a "technical" writer, I've learned on
the job(s).

Hope this didn't wander too far afield....Have a great 2002,

Laura
(who didn't include high school Typing class here, even though it led me to win a
$100 (U.S.) cash prize for typing the fastest/most accurate at age 16.)  </end
horn tooting>

--


--
Laura MacLemale
Technical Writer, EDV
Paychex HRS Operations
(585) 336-6515
lmaclemale -at- paychex -dot- com



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