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Subject:Re: Qualifications for tech writing From:Brad <kiwi -at- BEST -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 10 Aug 1999 20:49:20 -0700
Among the technical writers I have met at various STC conferences as well as
in Silicon Valley, where I work, it is very clear that we come from all
walks of life and education. Ironically, some job ads routinely specify
"Degree in English, Journalism, or Computer Science", but in reality I have
found that most technical writers do not have degrees in those specific
fields.
IMHO, a Computer Science degree would be particularly useful for a technical
writer in the computer industry. If they only had Computer Science degrees
when I attended college! Back then in the late '70's and early '80's, my
university still used punched cards and paper tape in their computer
courses! I knew right then and there that computers were *not* for me! :)
Brad
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Technical Writers List; for all Technical Communication issues
> [mailto:TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU]On Behalf Of Herman Holtz
> Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 1999 12:03 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Qualifications for tech writing
>
>
> I see a number of questions, comments, and discussions of
> what kind of
> career/experience backgrounds are most common breeding grounds
> for technical
> writers of today. I say "of today" because it seems to me that
> the nature of
> tech writing has changed a great deal since my years in it during
> the cold war,
> and so it would be surprising if the backgrounds of typical
> techwriters were
> not also somwhat different today. For example, in those days, an
> understanding
> of electronics at the circuit level, with the ability to work
> from schematic
> drawings, was a common denominator. That seems to be irrelevant
> today. - Herm
>
>
> ====================================================
> Herman Holtz, Freelance Writer-Consultant - Latest book: The
> Concise Guide to
> Becoming an Independent Consultant (John Wiley & Sons, 1999)
>
>
> ==================================================================
> =========
>
>
>
