Re: Worthless Tech Comm Degrees

[Kari G Andres <kandres -at- UDel -dot- Edu>]

well, i'm sorry-- i can't avoid this.  i don't think anybody has said that
what goes into the document is irrelevant.  in fact, a number of threads
have discussed how what the person's particular background has given them
the ability to digest technical information and then be able to write
about it.  i don't care what tool you use, how you present the info-- if
it is not technically correct, or understandable to your user, it is
useless garbage.  i think everybody agrees with that. what everybody
doesn't agree with is how to go about producing the document.  in my
particular case, an engr degree is how i went about it.  my cert in tech
writing taught me audience analysis and design.  both of these are
invaluable.  what i could care less about is frame vs word vs pm.
personally, i have never used frame-- don't think i ever will.  i do use
pm, and i am going to be using quark because that is what my new job uses.
i got the job because of my background and my writing style, and my
ability to understand and digest a wide variety of subject matter and be 
able to present it to an audience of choice.  i did not get the job 
because of the tool i use.  

Kari Gulbrandsen
Marine Outreach Specialist
College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware
http://copland.udel.edu/~kandres/default.htm
http://www.thewritingden.com