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Subject:Re: Seeking advice on English MA From:Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- progeny -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 18 Apr 2001 14:10:44 -0700
Christine -dot- Anameier -at- seagate -dot- com wrote:
>
> A question for the other English majors among us, and for those who can
> offer an employer's perspective: does an MA in English Lit do a tech
> writer any good?
I didn't start work until I had my MA, so I'm not sure whether it gives
any advantages or not.
However, I have observed a slight tendency for more senior positions to
list a higher degree as a requirement, or as desirable. As someone
remarked in the certification thread, the suits do like qualifications -
and never mind that there are as many idiots with advanced degrees as
without them (but *different* idiots, no doubt).
Anyway, as one of the "token humanists" in a university English
Department before I started writing for a living, I am strongly against
anyone taking an advanced degree solely for job qualifications. An MA in
any subject is going to take several years of your life, so you
shouldn't even consider starting one unless you have a strong personal
interest in the subject that you're going to focus on. Otherwise, you're
not only going to miss the point of the degree, but also be frustrated
and bored.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- progeny -dot- com
"And Tyler smiles, Tyler smiles,
At an angry crowd stretching miles and miles,
Six hundred years, and the lesson wasn't learned."
- Attila the Stockbroker, "Tyler Smiles (22nd November, 1990)"
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