Re: Technical development

[Faith Weber <weber -at- EASI -dot- ENET -dot- DEC -dot- COM>]

Jane,

Maybe you're already doing this, but if you have a good
relationship with the software engineers at work, you might
consult with them about this. Since they've had some kind
of technical education themselves, they may have good ideas
about where to start, and may have experience with specific
courses offered in your area.

Also, in my experience, you can help debunk the idea that
you're "not technical enough" by just showing an interest in the
techie side of things. Like most people, software engineers
like to talk about what they do. If you ask good questions and
show interest, you can probably learn a tremendous amount of
technical stuff on the job. I'm not sure whose perception you're
battling here, but if the engineers are enthusiastic about you
and your work (which they probably will be if they see that
you're really interested), that should be helpful in convincing
others of your technical knowledge.

Being familiar with the news in the trade magazines is helpful in
this, too -- the engineers I work with seem surprised and pleased
when I ask their opinion about predicted industry trends, etc.,
and I often learn something from their answers. It's not a degree,
of course, but it helps.

Forgive me if I'm stating the obvious, but I've learned so much
from the folks at my current job that I'm very enthusiastic about
this subject!

Faith