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>2. A degree in something that the person found challenging. The degree
>should probably NOT be in technical writing - we're after people who
>know how to learn on their own, not people who have simply learned
>tools.
I would agree absolutely with this. For me a degree or a diploma in
technical writing earns a resume a pretty much automatic trip to the "no"
pile. A good writer is someone who is interested in things. I find it hard
to imagine why someone who has the active interest in things around them
that would make them a good tech writer would not have sought a degree in
some substantial subject area. I look for people with a degree in the
humanities and a real interest in technology. If they don't have the basic
computer skills they are unsuitable, not because the computer skill are hard
to teach, but because anyone with a sufficient interest in technology will
certainly already have them.
In my experience, the degrees which correlate well to success as a tech
writer are history, theology, psychology, and sociology. Those which
correlate least are English and technical writing.
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Mark Baker
Manager, Corporate Communications
OmniMark Technologies Corporation
1400 Blair Place
Gloucester, Ontario
Canada, K1J 9B8
Phone: 613-745-4242
Fax: 613-745-5560
Email mbaker -at- omnimark -dot- com
