Re: Houston Area Jobs

[Mitch Berg <mberg -at- IS -dot- COM>]

> At 07:10 PM 12/9/96, David Locke <dlocke -at- PHOENIX -dot- NET> wrote:

> > The day is coming real soon where
> > you won't be able to get a job without a TW degree. And, guess what you
> > would be out of luck.

I also came into the middle of this thread.  And guess what - I
disagree!

My first career was in broadcast journalism - I started when I was 16,
and spent 13 years in the field.  In my experience, the better news
directors shied away from Journalism majors, since their background was
limited to the techniques of cranking out a story - their perspectives
and worldviews were too limited.

Same story in TechComm, IMHO.  Most people who come out of college with
a TechComm degree have focused on the intricacies of technical
communication, without getting a broad experience in technologies OR
becoming an in-depth expert in communications.  Of course, it doesn't
help that most TC grads I've known have come from the U of Minnesota,
whose TechComm program is NOT the highest-quality operation in the
business.  (Sorry, U of M people on the list, I'm just being honest.
Don't get me wrong - I've worked with a few U of M TC grads who are
quite good - but the program doesn't impress me).

As one who has done some hiring, and who has had a lot of input in
TechComm hiring decisions, a TechComm degree is one of the last criteria
on my wish list.  The ability to solve problems and learn new
disciplines quickly is the biggie - and an English major can do that
just as well as an Electrical Engineer, on a conceptual level.
--
Mitch Berg
mberg -at- is -dot- com

"Word is a minivan, Frame is a bus. Your job is to move 80 people across
town by noon. Choose."
   -- John Bell