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Today Janet wrote:
> As I pointed out in my earlier post, I'm not a degree snob. But
> some of you are, especially those of you without one <return snipe
> to Christine>.
> I never said only "degreed" TW's are qualified.
Yesterday Janet had written:
> What frustrates me about other TW/TC I have worked with:
> 1. Many come from various backgrounds/disciplines and profess to
> "have a knack" for TC. Please -- if you have a knack, back it
> up with REAL training. Get a degree in the field or at least a
> certificate. Someone professing to be a TW/TC that has no real
> training in the discipline will quickly be identified
> dis-respected by those who DO have training in the field.
If I'm interpreting your earlier post correctly, TWs without a degree or
certificate in the field don't have "REAL training" and will be "dis-respected
by those who DO have training in the field." Doesn't sound to me like you think
they're qualified. If you didn't mean to include yourself in "those who DO have
training in the field," this would've been a good place to add a disclaimer.
> I said, having a degree makes me feel like a legit TW.
> Technical communications is a discipline, same as engineering,
> programming, graphic design, et al. Taking the courses helped me
> understand the field better and has absolutely helped me win
> more projects.
THAT part I have no quibble with. If having a degree makes *you* feel legit and
helps *you* get jobs, then (as I said before) good for you. That means that
spending seven years and lots of money on your tech comm training was a good
idea for *you*. But that doesn't mean the rest of us should follow your lead.
> Would you hire a programmer w/o a degree in systems?
If they're good? Sure.
Christine
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