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: Educational areas to pursue From:"Bill Swallow" <wswallow -at- nycap -dot- rr -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sat, 22 Feb 2003 01:02:03 -0500
::: Who wants to go from being an accomplished techwriter to
::: being a newbie
::: programmer? Not me. If an employer is suggesting I take
::: programming,
::: sounds like they really wanted to hire a programmer who
::: could write.
I disagree. Knowing a programming language can help you get into the
depths of the code and figure out how a product works or will work,
before it's built. Knowing a programming language can be an enormous
help in documenting API products. Knowing a programming language can
help you "speak developer", in some cases giving you an "in" to more
info (though I believe it shouldn't have to come to that, in some cases
it does). Knowing a programming language broadens your experience,
making you a more valuable asset to the company. Knowing a programming
language can make you more marketable when job hunting.
Just because an employer asks that you broaden your skills and increase
your tech knowledge by learning a programming language, database
management, or other such thing, doesn't mean they are looking for a
programmer who can write. It means they value technical knowledge in
their employees to increase or enhance performance.
And, it's been my experience that the more you know, the more you're
valued, which many times means the more you're paid. Not a bad deal,
especially if your employer is springing for the training as well.
BILL SWALLOW
Information Design & Development Professional
tel/fax: 518.371.1867
wswallow -at- nycap -dot- rr -dot- com
Buy or upgrade to RoboHelp X3 today and receive the WebHelp
Merge Module for FREE ($299 value). RoboHelp X3's all-new
features include conditional text, completely re-engineered
printed documentation output, Context-sensitive Help Toolkit,
single-source layouts, and more!
Order online today at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
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.
