RE: Help: repost of computer-skill survey, desperately need more responses! Thanks

[Penny Staples <PStaples -at- niche -dot- mb -dot- ca>]

See answers below

-----Original Message-----
From: Jen Ren [mailto:jren_techcomm -at- yahoo -dot- com]

Section I:   Demographics 
1.	Briefly describer your academic background (major
and minor in university, and grad school if
applicable).

	- B.A English (Honours) - 1985
	- M.A. English - 1988

2.	If you are an on-site technical communicator,
briefly describe your current position and
responsibilities. 
If you are a freelancer/contractor, what kind of
technical communication work do you do most
frequently? (E.g., documenting software, copy editing
documents in the filed of ________etc.)

	- Sole tech writer for small leading-edge computer company.
Responsible for website, RFP proposal responses, on-line help, manuals and
marketing brochures, AVI sequences for marketing pieces to be released on CD

Section II. Computer Skills
1.	List two or more software programs in each of the
following categories you use most often at work  
Word Processing_____________________________

	- Microsoft Word. In the past have worked a great deal with
FrameMaker

Graphic Design_______________________________
	- Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator 

Desktop Publishing____________________________
	- Adobe InDesign 

Others (other work-related software not listed above,
describe
briefly)___________________________________________

	- Robohelp (on-line help), 
	- Camtasia Recorder, Dubit and Producer (for AVI clips), 
	- Adobe GoLive (web site)
	- Adobe Premiere (AVI clip editing)
	
 
2.	What kind and level of programming knowledge are
required of you at work?
	- Knowledge/understanding of programming cycle
	- Reading specs, flowcharts

3.	List three courses (in order of importance) you've
had in college and/or grad school that have helped you
do your job (not just current job, but including all
previous professional experiences relevant to
technical communication).

	- Community college course in programming theory and flowcharting
	- Research and Bibliography course in grad school
	- Writing my Master's thesis (experience anyalyzing something 
	  big and then organizing and writing a large document for a 
	  specific academic audience)


4.	List three courses that you wish you had had in
college and/or graduate school that would have helped
you do your job (not just current job, but including
all previous professional experiences relevant to
technical communication).

- None. If I ever get time I'll take some programming courses, 
  but that's for interest's sake. My current position doesn't 
  require programming 

5.	Additional comments on the role of computer skills
in the technical communication profession.

- My experience has been that I can usually figure out any computer 
  software that I need in order to do my job. Takes a couple of days to 
  get up to speed. Beyond basis windows navigation skills, the only 
  computer skill you really need is a complete lack of fear. 

- I think my most important skills has to do with my analytical abilities, 
  analysis of audience, tasks, material, project requirements, etc. And you 
  can pick this up in a number of ways - seat of the pants on-the-job
training, 
  tech writing-specific training, university education, college education,
etc.

- This doesn't apply to programming skills of course - for that I don't 
  think there's any replacement for taking programming courses, though 
  I'm told by the developers that once you pick up a programming 
  language or two, the same analytical skills apply, and you can pick 
  up other stuff you need to know on the job.

Regards,

Penny Staples

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