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--- melmis36 -at- hotmail -dot- com wrote:
>
> However I have worked with a few other technical
> writers and none of us
> had the same degree, which got me thinking it would
> be interesting to
> learn about the educational backgrounds of the
> posters on this list. Any
> one care to share? It might help him in his
> decision, since I am new to
> Maryland, I am not really sure what the colleges in
> this area have to
> offer for a promising tech writer!
>
BS (appropriate acronym) in Technical Management from
DeVry University. (Their technical programs were
decent, but the 'filler classes' like English were
embarrassingly lame.)
AS in Electronics from a 2-year college in Canada
At one point, I had 180 credit-hours and no Bachelor's
degree! I suspect a TW course or three might be handy,
but four years of it? Read, read, read good writing.
Some people have a gift/knack/talent for writing, so
degrees don't necessarily help the person learn to
write gooder. (Ha!) However, I could see where courses
could really help with structure, layout, how to edit,
tools, localization considerations, and so on. Perhaps
I was lucky, but nobody who ever hired me seemed
concerned what school I went to, or what degree(s) I
held. I did have to have a Bachelor's degree, and I
did have to demonstrate that I could write well. I
found that once I chalked up some experience at large
companies, many doors opened. I've only been asked for
samples once.
I have noticed that many TW positions do want someone
with a technical degree and/or programming background.
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