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Subject:Re: The not-so-new anymore topic From:Anatole Wilson <aw3a+ -at- ANDREW -dot- CMU -dot- EDU> Date:Fri, 30 Apr 1993 17:35:50 -0400
Len Olszewski <saslpo -at- UNX -dot- SAS -dot- COM> writes:
>I think that the proliferation of technical communication curricula
>around the country provides a needed focus, but the resulting
>specialists lack (as do many graduates in many fields) the feel for the
>the intellectual and profesional culture of the individuals with whom
>they will work. You can still get farther faster with the education plus
>the subject matter experience. I know that its difficult to figure out
>how to provide that in a package. But any exposure you can get to that
>culture, coupled with an open mind, will pay dividends in your work.
I agree with this entirely. Here in the Masters in Professional Writing
program here at Carnegie Mellon, we have one class where we team up with
Masters in Software Engineering (MSE) students to document their course
projects. We not only documented their projects, but in some cases we
helped them communicate with their clients, pinpointed interface
problems, and helped them user-test the programs. We had the opportunity
to see what makes software engineers "tick," and I know the MSE students
left their program with a greater appreciation of technical writers.
Anatole Wilson
Masters in Professional Writing program,
Carnegie Mellon University
