Re: Degrees, certification, blah, et cetera

[Lisa Higgins <lisa -at- DRDDO1 -dot- EI -dot- LUCENT -dot- COM>]

I'm just wondering: Is it an overwhelming trait that technical
communicators tend to see things in black and white?

Must we all be degreed or non-degreed?

I am not a hiring manager (and for this I am eternally grateful), but
I do participate in hiring decisions; and I wouldn't rule any
applicant out based on either the presence or absence of a degree of
any sort. True, I'd probably rule someone out who had neither
experience nor a degree; but when I think of the talented and
productive technical writers I know, I can't think of a single thing
that defines them as a group. They are degreed and undegreed, black
and white, male and female, etc. And the same goes for bad tech
writers.

Education is valuable. It is one of the most valuable things you can
have; but there are infinite paths. A college degree is not the only
way. It's a good way, and it has it's uniquely valuable qualities;
but it is no better or worse, inherently, than hard knocks,
experience, openmindedness, or whatever.

> This list has started me thinking...is a high
> school diploma *really* necessary? Maybe we can convince employers that
> this is just a piece of dead wood also and do away with grades 9-12.

Of course not.

I dropped out in ninth grade, and frankly, I think it goes without
saying that high school graduates are all just a bunch of worthless,
pathetic excuses for human beings. Buncha fancypants, highfalutin',
pince-nez-wearing high school graddeyates. Hmmmph.

Lisa.
(lisa -at- drddo1 -dot- ei -dot- lucent -dot- com)