Career Choice and Degree

[Richard Lippincott <rlippinc -at- BEV -dot- ETN -dot- COM>]

I'll throw in another opinion on the value of a degree, and what
-type- of degree.

I've got a degree in technical writing, and I think it was the best
choice for this field. It was a graduate degree, it worked out that
way because I chose to become a technical writer about three
years after receiving my BS in Journalism.

To me, having a degree that matches the job you're pursuing is a
bonus. It indicates that you're serious about the career choice. It
can help show that you really -do- want the job that you've applied
for.

While a computer related degree would have been useful as well,
the reality is that everything I learned about computers in the later
`70s and early `80s is a tad outdated. Everything that I learned
about writing is still current.

Someone mentioned specific degree programs in a message over
the weekend, so I'll thrown in a plug for my alma mater: Rensse-
laer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. The graduate degree
was in Technical Writing back when I was there, now it's called
Technical Communications. I'm in my third job since receiving the
degree, all three hiring managers have commented that seeing an
actual -degree- in tech writing is what made my resume survive
those first few essential cuts in the weeding out process.

Rick Lippincott
Eaton Semiconductor
Beverly, MA
rlippinc -at- bev -dot- etn -dot- com