Liberal Arts Grads Can't "Grasp?" Give me a f&*#ing break.

["Schweda, Christopher" <CSchweda -at- ICJIA -dot- STATE -dot- IL -dot- US>]

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A person whose training is geared too much toward liberal arts or a
technical field is not going to be a great technical writer.

Pure techies tend to downplay the softer side of technical writing
(user-friendly wording, attractive layout, etc.) which are required in
good documentation, while pure liberal arts folks tend not to fully
grasp
what they are talking about. That's not intended as an insult...it just
reflects a lack of training in a certain area. Many, many writers
without
much technical training often "just don't get" what they're writing
about, and it takes a techie to catch such errors.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Best laugh I've had all morning. Unfortunately, not only is this
patently false, but it's also a mode of thinking that's dangerously
prevalent among many a high-tech companies (or companies who fancy
themselves as "cutting edge."). For these reasons, I respond.

You're serious when you assert that a liberal arts major "can't grasp"
things? Wow. I haven't heard a stereotype like this in a long time. Last
time, in fact, I heard it was during a job interview. A local internet
service provider was looking for a customer service rep who could also
write a company newsletter. He seemed pleased with my technical
experience but was troubled by my liberal arts background. His fear, he
said, was that English majors tended hang out in "la-la" land. The fact
that I'd been a published writer -- stories and several screenplays --
didn't help my case. And final straw was the fact that I'd received two
MA's -- one in English, one in Writing. He was visibly agitated with my
academic experience -- so much so that he wondered I'd wasted my time in
grad school.

Obviously, I didn't get the job, and of course, I wouldn't have wanted
it had I gotten it. It's unfortunate, but there's still a smattering of
anti-intellectualism in the workplace, particularly among those
employers who, as I say, fancy themselves "cutting edge." It's both an
anti-intellectualism and a troubling insularity brought on no doubt by
the belief that there's nothing beyond the workplace and that culture
(as we Americans tend to think of 'culture') is a waste of time.

Many people -- both techies and non-techies alike -- don't grasp the
fact that a good liberal arts background makes you a creative thinker.
That's what counts -- or what should count among enlightened managers --
in today's workplace.

Creative problem solving is the key to technical communication and, in
fact, is probably the key in any endeavor, technical or no. In fact,
I've often remarked to coworkers, managers, and employers how much
computer programming is like writing a short story, screenplay, or
novel. You start with nothing and in the process of creation are forced
to confront a variety of obstacles. Several employers have looked at me
with incredulity in their eyes when I've suggested this: "You've got to
be kidding." They can't make the conceptual leap between two highly
creative endeavors.

Bottom-line: most anyone can learn technical specifics. You sit down
with me for five hours and tell me about your latest widget. I'll ask a
bunch of questions, think about it for a bit, and then I'll internalize
it . Two, three, four days (hours?) later, I can start cranking out a
manual or brochure. I'll learn the goddamn widget inside and out.
Complex? No problem. Let me fiddle with it, ask questions, and I'll
write something that will communicate its importance, ease of use, and
effectiveness to any end-user. Kid in fourth grade? No sweat. To a
manager too busy to read all but the shortest abstract? Simple.

But you can't teach most anyone *creative thinking* or new ways of
solving problems.  You can't *teach* problem solving. The benefit of a
liberal arts education (if it's done properly) is a gradual awareness of
how to approach problems and how the same problems have existed for
many, many, many years. For many people, this comes as a shock. Read
Plato, for example, and tell me that we don't debate his same concerns
-- good, evil, love, justice -- every day of our lives. Maybe he didn't
solve these problems, but that's not imporant. The key is never the
answer -- it's always the question. If you know enough to ask good
questions, your education is complete.

The anti-intellectualists tend to ask the same questions over and over,
require the same amount of work from their employees, and don't have the
smarts enough to make leap. Product is not always the key -- process is
sometimes where it's at.

Such insularity, as I say, is especially troubling to me. Many managers
tend to poo-poo anything not directly related to their industry. They
downplay the links between science, culture, math, technology, etc. What
these people tend to forget is that creativity isn't borne in a vacuum.
If all technical writers did was write technical manuals, they'd grow
stale and unoriginal. My advice to anyone embarking on a technical
writing career with a liberal arts background is to stress your ability
to simplify complex problems. You bring creative solutions to the mix,
and if your liberal arts background is a good one, you will most likely
be the creative focal point for any project.

I once had a computer science teacher who every year read all of
Dickens. He told our class that the key to genius is the ability to one
minute concentrate on the big picture, and the next minute on the small
picture. This, he maintained, was the key to creativity. Dickens did
this as a novelist -- as did Tolstoy, James, and Proust. They were able
to see the microcosm in the macrocosm and vice versa. To all "techies"
who think themselves enlightened, ask yourself if you, too, can approach
a problem like this. If you can look at the big picture, concentrate on
the specifics, look at the big picture again, and then again on the
specifics. If you lack the ability to switch modes, and solve problems
in each mode, then you'll lack much of the power that enables you to do
your job as efficiently and as creatively as possible. A good liberal
arts education stresses this from day one. This is why, for example,
incoming college freshmen oftentimes are shocked at what they perceive
to be the 'complexity' of college. What they don't realize, of course,
is that a good college -- a good liberal arts school in particular --
challenges their tried-and-true ways of thinking from the get-go. It
forces them to abandon their closed, insular mindset and become aware
that, in fact, the world does not revolve around them. Many freshmen --
particularly those who feel no need to take an "English" class and fight
you every step of the way when they're in *your* English class -- resist
this kind of enlightenment. It means accepting the notion that, yes,
there are different ways of approaching a problem or an idea -- and it
means thinking outside the familiar framework. Most freshmen hate it,
and many breeze through college every day hating it, every day resisting
it, and in the end thinking that finally they've triumphed over it. They
decide to cordon off their corner of world, slip into their vacuum, and
make a good living. Fair enough. But why stop there when a little effort
gets you much more?

I appeal to all managers who read this list and fancy themselves
enlightened not to fall into the "I can't hire you because, well, you
have a liberal arts background." Don't neglect creative talent in favor
of tried-and-true "technical talent." You want your tech writers to be
creative problem solvers, not 'regurgitators' of knowledge tried and
true.


My two cents. To those who disagree, please respond. I'm interested.


Chris Schweda
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Christopher Schweda
Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1016
Chicago, IL 60606
312.793.8968
cschweda -at- icjia -dot- state -dot- il -dot- us
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