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In reference to graduate degrees--I have a BA in English, and a Master's degree
in Technical Writing. My MA program, at Bowling Green State University,
emphasized the practical more than the theoretical.
I didn't even know what technical writing was until I showed up at BGSU (I was
initially a literature major), so of course getting an MA was valuable to me.
In my experience so far, the MA wasn't necessary, but _seems_ to command a
certain amount of respect from my peers (it's true--people are impressed
when you get an advanced degree, despite the anti-intellectual tone of American
society) and also seems to have put me on a higher payscale than other tech
writers around (I think that the degree counts with employers as experience).
I have also been told that the more advanced degrees government contractors can
show in their employ, the better the government likes it--but this could be a
myth.
I would say that an advanced degree isn't necessary, but I've never been told
that I was OVERqualified because of it, and anything you can do to make yourself
stand out in the job market is good.
Nora
merhar -at- alena -dot- switch -dot- rockwell -dot- com
