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>People periodically ask "Should I buy such-and-such software and
>learn it, to put it on my resume". Canvas 6 offers vector draw / bitmap
>paint (Photoshop-like) and PageMaker clone functions ....
Charlene Hirschi asked:
Is it productive to buy and learn new softwares for
>this purpose (including on resume)? As a "just starting out" tech writer,
>I can see that my computer experience (or lack thereof)is a real handicap.
>But there are so many programs mentioned, how can anybody learn them all
>just to put on the resume?
I can't answer the "resume" part of the question, because I've never
learned something "just to put on my resume."
But, if you learn a product that contains many features that are also in
other products, it becomes easy to transfer your knowledge when you pick up
other similar products. Using Canvas is a good example of this, because you
learn features (such as those listed above) that are in more popular
programs. I had to learn Visio on the fly a few years ago to quickly
revise some diagrams I inherited. Because I'd used other vector drawing
programs (and because Visio has a good user interface, imho) I was able to
pick it up easily and complete that task painlessly.
When I review applicants' resumes for full-time positions, I look for that
transferable tools knowledge, rather than knowledge of a specific tool.
