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Subject:Re: Career changer vs. entry level From:The Tech Writer <techwrtr -at- CRL -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 29 Oct 1997 12:03:22 -0800
> If I had known what technical writers were, I would have wanted to be
> one. I didn't find out they existed until I was in college, taking
> English classes as electives because I loved them but avoiding English
> as a major because I didn't want to teach (which is all you can do with
> an English degree, right? <grin>). One of my English professors said
> "you should be an English major!" and asked me to talk to the dept
> advisor. She gave me a brochure about technical writing and I was
> hooked. I would have saved a lot of time if, somewhere during those
> career-exploration activities in high school, somebody had shown me that
> brochure.
Yes, yes, yes, yes!! Almost the *exact* same thing happened to me. I was
an English major, too (though I hated all of those classes that required
reading "classics") because I thought that that would lead me to what I
wanted to do. I knew it wasn't working by the time I was ready to
transfer to a 4-year. I told the counselor what I wanted to do, and he
replied "Would that be Journalism??" I told him that I didn't think so.
So he flipped through one of the college books to the majors section and
began reading them off to me. When he got to "Technical & Professional
Writing," I had him read the description to me.
I was elated! There really was a major that would teach me what I wanted
to do! I know that I, too, would have spent a lot less time sitting in
really boring Medieval British Literature classes if I had known about
technical writing. We need to get out to the high school level, more. Get
STC to set up booths and such.
-David Castro
techwrtr -at- crl -dot- com
P.S. I ran across some old grammar school stuff, and at grade 4, I wanted
to be a magician when I grew up. I'm glad I chose technical writing. More
money, and I could never get the card tricks to work! :-)
