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Subject:Re: Educational areas to pursue From:Andrew Plato <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sun, 23 Feb 2003 15:13:29 -0800 (PST)
"Jan Henning" wrote
> Note that Beth said "the employer" - i.e., the current employer asking
> you to learn something -, not "potential employers"*. And this makes a
> lot of sense: You could learn skills that are valuable for your current
> employer but for few others.
Which would keep you employed. If your employer asks you to learn something,
and you don't, then I would estimate that your chances of remaining employed at
that company would be significantly reduced.
> For example, when you're working in a small company, your employer
> might want you to learn graphics applications (Illustrator, Corel Draw,
> stuff like that) so as to be able to do the graphics inhouse. This
> makes obvious sense for the employer, but may be less helpful for
> yourself if you really think of yourself as writer and not a layout
> dabbler.
Yes, but refusing to learn such a technology can get you fired.
> Also, if you intend to look for pure writing jobs, knowing illustrator
> does not significantly enhance your chances of landing one. If you had
> spent the time, say, learning a new development in your field of
> expertise, it might have improved your employability by a lot more.
Ahhh, the old "ignorance is an asset" argument. Knowledge is always useful.
There is no reason to turn your back on expertise simply because it doesn't
interest you.
If an employer says to you, "Learn X, Y, and Z" and you decide that Z isn't
relevant to your personal view of technical publications perfection, then why
would the employer want to keep you around? If the employer has decided that Z
is important and you disagree with them, then you will need a better excuse
than "this might harm my future employability." Because an employer does not
care (nor should they) about your future employability.
Thus, you need to balance your employer's demands with your personal wants. If
you want to learn A, B, and C and your employer demands X, Y, and Z, then you
need to first learn X, Y, and Z and then learn A, B, and C on your own time.
Alternatively, you should present a viable business argument why A, B, and C
are more valuable, useful, etc. And a viable business argument must show REAL
value, not perceived value or potential value, but ways that your personal
preferences will offer more than just making you happy.
Andrew Plato
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