TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Which class From:Cheryl Magadieu <leftymagoo -at- attbi -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sat, 26 Oct 2002 19:29:24 -0400
I'd have to agree with what other folks on the list have said--if you don't
enjoy programming, don't take a programming class. Programming classes
usually require a large commitment of time, patience, and energy. Also, a
programming class probably won't help you during job interviews unless you
can explain what you did with the information you learned or how the class
helped you in your job. If you didn't do anything with the info or it
didn't help you, then the interviewer may find it too easy to assume that
you didn't learn much from the class or that you've forgotten what you learned.
The three classes you mentioned below are all object-oriented programming
languages. You might find that it's easier to take a language-specific
class such as Java *after* taking a class that provides an overview of
object-oriented programming. Otherwise, you'll be trying to learn
object-oriented concepts at the same time that you're learning
language-specific material, and that's a pretty hefty load. I've taken both
an object-oriented programming class and a Java class. I enjoyed the
object-oriented programming class a lot more and got a lot more out of it.
I found that there were many similarities between the thought processes
used in object-oriented programming and the thought processes used in
technical writing. Both tend to involve researching a problem,
brainstorming about solutions, thinking about relationships between things,
and determining how to combine those relationships in logical, efficient
ways. The Java class helped me a bit with the programming chapters I was
writing for the job that I had at the time, but they didn't help nearly as
much as the database management course that I took.
I've never taken Visual C++, but I have studied Visual Basic on my own, and
it has been very handy. But then, I like to write Word macros, which
requires some knowledge of Visual Basic.
As someone else said, your best bet is to tailor your course choices to the
goals you hope to achieve. Otherwise, it's like learning a foreign language
and then not using it for 10 years--you forget more than you ever thought
you could.
Cheryl
At 02:58 PM 10/22/2002 +0000, you wrote:
Okay, this is going to sound like an oxymoron but I'm a Tech Writer not
really interested in programming languages. I like technology but not the
inside of the box. Anyway, I know I need to add to my resume. So, in my
available downtime, I'd like to take a class. Which do you recommend,
which is more marketable, and which is easiest for someone who doesn't
like programming languages:
Visual Basic
Visual C
Java
Thanks for your help.
Erica
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
All-new RoboHelp X3 is now shipping! Get single sourcing, print-quality
documentation, conditional text and much more, in the most monumental
release ever. Save $100! Order online at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
Buy ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 6.0, the most powerful SINGLE SOURCE HELP
AUTHORING TOOL for MS Word. SAVE $100 on the full version and $50 on the
upgrade. Offer ends 10/31/2002 (code: DTH102250). http://www.componentone.com/d2hlist1002
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.