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Someone wrote me privately and suggested that the degree/no-degree topic
is the equivalent of the Mac/PC Holy War. Nonetheless, I want to give
some advice to anybody who is considering going for a Master's degree in
tech writing: shop, shop, shop!
Somebody wrote this:
> A college program which focuses on
> certain fundamentals
> in composition and rhetoric, plus give hands-on training with things like
> project planning,
> HTML coding, online help development, printing, etc would be of enormous
> use. Those
> are the things I was still missing after a BA and an MA in professional
> writing.
and also this:
> A *graduate* degree, however, is a different beast. It tends deals with
> theory,
> not practice.
This is exactly what the grad program I went to consisted of!
When I finished my bachelor's and was thinking about what more I needed
to know, all this stuff came into my mind, and I shopped for a grad
program that would need those needs--and found one by the way--Miami of
Ohio's grad program is terrific in my opinion. And while I was shopping
I found several other programs that also would have fit the bill.
To sign on with a program where you don't know what the curriculum would
be, or where the curriculum is just more of stuff you know--well, of
course, the sole benefit would be that sheepskin. But if there are
things you want to learn still, shop for a program that will meet your
needs! Call the professors and ask about projects and the program's
philosophy and opportunity for independent study!
By the way, I'm aware that not everyone can travel to where the good
programs are, and someone else had a good suggestion about other
learning opportunities that are available (i.e. certificates, seminars,
etc.).
My sole point is: before you sign up for school and suffer through a lot
of basic classes where you're not learning anything, do some research
and figure out what you want to learn, and what the program you're
checking into can offer.
--
******************************
Hillary Jones
hillary -at- nichimen -dot- com
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