MA, no job experience issue

[Rebecca Stevenson <rstevens -at- HUBDATA -dot- COM>]

If I may be so bold as to speak, I think this may be a function of how
most Tech Writing masters programs work. Generalizing from my own
experience at Northeastern, many of the participants have been out of
school for some years and are looking to change career tracks; I don't
know if that holds true everywhere, of course.

These people already have full-time jobs, which may or may not touch on
technical writing in some way; they can't go out and do an internship
for little or no money for a few months just to get a bit of experience.
And they can't go out and get a *real* job in the field until they have
that degree that says they have some idea what they're talking about.

I think if you're in a program that emphasizes practical job skills
(which the NU one does fairly well),  and you've got a decent level of
motivation, you'll find yourself prepared to hit the ground running in
the working world. Which is all school is good for, really....

I've got two quarters to go. <g>

Rebecca Stevenson                           "Real artists ship."
Technical Writer                          -- Steve Jobs
Hub Data, Inc.
617-602-3141
http://www.hubdata.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Katav [SMTP:katav -at- YAHOO -dot- COM]
> Sent: Monday, April 05, 1999 8:22 AM
> To:   TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      Re: Oh no...not another newbie!
>
> First, this is NOT intended as a flame of Mr. Gardner.
>
> Here is a lad "with infinite theoretical (but
> relatively little empirical) knowledge" who has
> "already landed a terrific job with a worldwide HW/SW
> developer and producer" based, one presumes, on his
> soon-to-be-awarded MA-TW.
>
> Two things bother me about the post.
>
> Thing 1: At the MA (I'm screaming here) level, our TW
> wanna-be has both "infinite theoretical ... knowledge"
> (scary thought ... "infinite theoretical") with
> "relatively little empirical knowledge." How is it
> that a person is awarded a bachelor's - let alone a
> MASTERS - sans experience - OJT, internship, etc. I
> came to TWing from newspapering and the Florida school
> in Gainesville that offers J courses has a long
> history of internship requirement-to-graduate (with a
> bachelor's). Most of the grads with a J degree from
> that school are ready to work from Day 1.
>
> Perhaps I am way out in left field (again), but to my
> Winnie-the-Pooh mentality, it seems logical that a
> person should have SOME experience in a discipline
> BEFORE undertaking a master's program (in that
> discipline).
>
> Thing 2: Our almost-MA has "already landed a terrific
> job with a worldwide HW/SW developer and producer" and
> while I am happy for him, I wonder what the employer
> expects of him ... I hope the expectations are
> realistic. High expectations based on an MA will harm
> both the employer AND the employee. (Can an MA-TW find
> happiness as a junior writer?)
>
> Let me repeat that this is NOT a flame of Mr. Gardner;
> indeed, it is not a flame of either B* or M* -- or
> even PhD* candidates/degree holders. Mr. Gardner may
> have excellent credentials, and certainly is to be
> commended for asking guidance from the list (albeit
> belatedly ... colleges and universities with TW
> programs ought to be made aware of this and similar
> lists & encourage their students to [at least] lurk).
>
> My suggestion is that any of us with influence with
> any school of higher ed use that influence to push for
> more 'real world' exposure to the professions before
> graduation.
>
> (BTW, I am responding to Mr. Gardner off-list with
> some  suggestions he might find useful.)
>
> --- "Richard C. Gardner" <rgardner -at- INTRCOM -dot- COM> wrote:
> > Hello all,
> >
> > Two, I am one month away from finishing my M.A. in
> Technical Writing and have already landed a terrific
> job with a worldwide HW/SW developer and producer.
> Any advice for someone with infinite theoretical (but
> relatively little empirical) knowledge? Any words of
> wisdom
>
>
> ===
> Katav ( katav -at- yahoo -dot- com )
> ''Despise not any person and do not deem anything unworthy
> of consideration, for there is no person without his hour,
> and no thing without its place'' {Ben Azzai [Avot 4:2]}
>
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