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RE: STC certification: what's in it for tech writers?
Subject:RE: STC certification: what's in it for tech writers? From:Lynne Wright <Lynne -dot- Wright -at- tiburoninc -dot- com> To:Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>, Dan Goldstein <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com> Date:Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:31:55 +0000
Which raises another issue: perhaps the root of the problem is that schools that run tech writing programs aren't holding their grads to an acceptable level of baseline competence.
Ie. how is it that folks can graduate from a two-year tech communications program without knowing how to write a clear, simple sentence in active voice?
Then HR people could look for a degree in technical communication if they're looking for a "junior" writer; or ask for x yrs experience OR certification if they're looking for somebody who can jump in and be up to speed relatively quickly.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=tiburoninc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=tiburoninc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Gene Kim-Eng
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 4:19 PM
To: Dan Goldstein
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: STC certification: what's in it for tech writers?
IMO this would be something worth thinking about. Some of the negative
reactions I see to TC students and entry level writers who post what their
instructors have told them to "always" or "never" do suggest to me that a
process in which members of the profession with real-world experience
evaluate the knowledge and skills of new grads or people from other
occupations who want to break into the field might be of more value than a
bunch of us old curmudgeons taking pokes at each others' portfolios. I've
spent a lot of my working time over the years "fixing" previous doc attempts
made by non-writers or inexperienced new writers, but have really not been
in very many situations where departing writers with any substantial amount
of industry experience left behind work that I determined to be substandard.
Gene Kim-Eng
On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 12:59 PM, Dan Goldstein <
DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com> wrote:
> STC designed the cert process for TWs with experience and proven skills
> (AKA "curmudgeonly skeptics"). Unfortunately for STC, those with the most to
> gain from betting on an unproven cert process are the inexperienced TWs
> looking for a leg up in the hiring process. Maybe the cert process could be
> tweaked to be more accessible for young guinea pigs.
>
> (At these prices, Richard's use of "betting" is especially appropriate.)
>
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