TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Dick Margulis <margulis -at- fiam -dot- net> wrote:
>Hi again, folks. I sort of started a subthread here about creating a
>TWBOK and using that as the basis for certification; then I left town
>for a couple of days. Time to jump back in.
>
>In response to the Keith/Bruce exchange snipped below, I would
>specifically avoid including specific tool knowledge (I think I said
>that already).
Sure, *you* would. Will you be running the certification program?
Alone? ;) Funding it? Explaining the non-tool specific, difficult to
measure things to employers? Or will some corporate entity, like, say,
a tool creator?
>You should probably know something about the role of style guides
>in a tech writing organization, but that doesn't mean you have to
>have memorized my favorite style guide. I think it is useful to know
>the difference between a raster image and a vector diagram. But that
>does not mean you have to be a proficient user of Photoshop and Adobe
>Illustrator.
[snip other good examples]
But those are exactly the measurable things that *will* be required if
some real (read: employer accepted and required) certification appears.
That's the whole problem; outside of specific environments, what makes
a good technical communicator is difficult to quantify.
So we can dream about what the ideal cert would measure, but the law of
unintended consequences will almost certainly kick in. That's my
prediction anyway.
Dick also wrote:
>I would never suggest that certification be a requirement for an entry
>level tech writing gig--or really for any tech writing gig. I don't see
>it as being useful for keeping people out of jobs. I just see it as
>something you take to your current employer and use to leverage a better
>assignment, a raise, more authority, ....
Sure, *you* wouldn't suggest it ...
--
Greg Holmes
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Purchase RoboHelp X3 in April and receive a $100 mail-in
rebate, plus FREE RoboScreenCapture and WebHelp Merge Module.
Order here: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l/
Help celebrate TECHWR-L's 10th Anniversary starting this month!
Check out the contests at http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/special/contests/
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday TECHWR-L....
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
