RE: Re: PHD in Tech writing

Subject: RE: Re: PHD in Tech writing
From: "Gene Kim-Eng" <techpubs -at- genek -dot- com>
To: cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Date: 05 Sep 2003 18:55:48 GMT

In almost 30 years of doing this, I've only encountered one
industry where having a PhD enhances one's career prospects
as a writer, biotech/pharma. And the PhD they want to see
isn't in English, journalism or communications, but in the
technology, i.e., biology or chemistry. The one exception
to this is if you're going after a job as an editor or
technical librarian, an advanced degree in English or
library science can be a plus.

However, just to provide some additional perspective on the
subject of PhDs and careers, a good friend of mine from
college went on to get her PhD in chemical engineering (to
be a researcher, not a writer). On her first day in the
program, the faculty advisor told her that if she was going
after the PhD to enhance her earning potential she should
drop out immediately and get a job in industry, because the
added income she could look forward to as a holder of a PhD
over her career would never make up for the income she was
going to be passing up during the years it would take to
get it. This was in 1976, I should check with her to see
if it turned out to be true.

Gene Kim-Eng



------- Original Message -------
On
Fri, 5 Sep 2003 09:25:16 -0700 Chuck Martin?wrote:


If I were to take the time to get an advanced degree, though, it wouldn't be in TC, but in HCI. And if I had the money, I would definitely take the time.





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