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Subject:RE: New Hires From:shelly -dot- l -dot- hazard -at- exgate -dot- tek -dot- com To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Thu, 6 Jan 2000 14:02:50 -0800
Another comment on this...
There is a difference between asking for training to make yourself more
efficient and simply not being capable of learning on your own. You can
learn a new software package on your own, but the learning curve will be
long and you will not be efficient in its use. On the other hand, if you
take a training course, you can come up to speed on the package much quicker
and be more efficient in its use. Does this mean that you won't make a good
technical writer? I would think it makes you a better one because you
understand the need for efficiency as well as training.
To give a 'real-life' example, I needed to learn RoboHelp for the current
project I'm working on. At the time I needed to learn, I was swamped with
work being the only technical writer in the company and I literally didn't
have time to come up to speed and produce help files within a couple of
months AND do everything else I needed to do. So I asked work to send me to
a three-day training session put on by Blue Sky. I know I have enough
understanding that I can competently make help files on my own. Am I an
expert? No, of course not - but I have enough information to produce
something without wasting a lot of time learning. Could I have learned it
on my own? Of course, but not that quickly to reach the level I am now
capable of.
My 2c worth....
Shelly
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Debbie Packer [mailto:dpacker -at- stingrayboats -dot- com]
> > Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2000 10:59 AM
> > Mark Baker wrote:
> >
> > > In any case, if a technical writing candidate asks for tool
> > > training it is a sure sign they don't have what it takes to
> > > be a technical writer. If you can't figure out how to work
> > > a software package by yourself, how will you ever learn
> > > about the new products you will be documenting? There won't be
> > > any manuals or training available until you write them!
> >
> > This is the best thing I've heard yet! If someone doesn't have
> > the ability to learn a software package on their own, I don't
> > think they have any business attempting to document other
> > software packages.
> >
>
