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I don't know. All other things being equal at an interview, I'll take
the candidate with the STC membership, then the candidate with the
degree, then the candidate with neither.
The degree gets your foot in the door. It shows that at some point in
your life you committed to a long-term research project to achieve a
goal, shows you can focus and commit. Plus, it shows you have had some
training and education, so perhaps it is less likely that you need to
learn some grammar and perhaps some topics about the subjects of your
technical documentation.
I'm not sure about an associates degree itself, but taking courses and
improving your education in the area of technical writing as an adult
tells me you are serious enough about your career to add one or two more
balls to the things you are juggling, and I like that commitment to your
career. Probably, on a scale, I'd weigh this about the same as taking
continuing ed by regularly attending regional conferences on tech
writing topics.
Cheers,
Sean
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+sean -dot- brierley=ipc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+sean -dot- brierley=ipc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of dlang -at- terracom -dot- net
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 8:48 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Associate Degree in Technical Communications
Greetings,
I am an experienced technical writer but currently lack a degree.
Since this college is part of a vocational/technical group, some or all
of the credits will most likely transfer to the Wisconsin state college
system later. (I'm verifying this)
My question to the group: in your experience, how marketable is an
associate degree? Most of the job postings I've seen for tech writers
have required at least a Bachelor's degree.
My areas of specialization include software documentation and
instructional material design, but I am considering transitioning to
marketing communications.
Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide,
Dixie Lang
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