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Subject:Re: Importance of Education From:Vickie Morgan <vmorgan -at- GREENVILLENC -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 30 Oct 1997 03:10:23 +0000
Response to English and Technical Writing Degrees as a Waste
I strongly agree with Wayne:
English and Technical writing certainly have my vote. I have earned a
BA in English (Literature and Creative Writing), and I am currently
working towards a masters in Technical Communication. I was apalled at
the statements that these would be the least desired fields!
I Have spent the last 6 years of my life doing exactly what I
love-WRITING! I have published poetry, presented a paper at a
literature conference and best of all, I am now working on the field I
love most--Technical Writing. It is not about learning a few computer
programs--though I have learned a great many of them on my own!
I know the issues facing the field today. I have done solo and
collaborative projects, documentation and management, and I am currently
working on an internship for NASA transferring their RetrievalWare
software manual to online.
I can build a nice web page and also feel greatly comfortable with an
area of PR, because I was taught the theory behind: document design,
editing, human factors, readability, uasbility, collaboration and
project managment, among many others.
I will be graduating in 6 months, and I know that most employers will
find my skills stronger than most experienced technical writers that
"learned it on their own." I am thankful for my education because it
has given me the foundation to make educated decisions and improvements
in an area of our field that I decide to enter.
I agree that this is a field where people can teach themselves the
practical skills, but what about the foundations of our profession?
Learning computer programs is not a requirement of our program, I do it
because I am curious and interested.
Maybe the people making these references should reconsider what they are
saying. I am part of the first generation that is really getting
educated for this job, and it is about time!
Victoria Morgan Sharpe
East Carolina University
STC Student Chapter President
