Re: technical writer degree programs

["Chuck Martin" <cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com>]

"Al Geist" <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com> wrote in message
news:211628 -at- techwr-l -dot-  -dot-  -dot- 
<snip>
> I have found almost without exception, that a Journalism
> or English degree (or TW certificate) may influence some people, but it
> won't make you a good technical writer.  You don't need to be an
> engineer, but without some hands-on technical experience, you really
> can't understand the product (program, concept, etc.), and if you don't
> understand what you are writing about, how can you explain it to
> others.

I think that why good TW programs put as much emphasis on the "technical" as
they do the "writing."

I hate to keep tooting my owm alma mater's horn (well, I don't really hate
it), but the TW degree there (from the College of Engineering) requires a
minimum amount of science and technical courses--hard science stuff--in
addition to all the core degree courses. (Not to mention far more than
competent English skills to get accepted into the program.

Me, I took CS and EE and IE courses for *electives* once I polished off the
minimum amount.

I'd guess that a full-fledged TW B.S. degree from a top school provides more
rigor and foundation for both the "T" and the "W" than a certificate
program--and it's a significant enough difference that the two should not be
considered equal.

That said, that does *not* mean that people with a degree *are* competent in
the field, nor does it mean that people with "just" a certificate are not.

Chuck Martin

P.S. You can have all the technical competence in the world, but if you
don't know your audience, your users, what they can understand, and what
their goals are, whatever you can write or design won't meet their needs.