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Subject:Re: Why so few medical techwriters From:"Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 25 Aug 2004 10:02:15 -0700
I am of the view that neither education (book-learning) or formal training
(which is really still "book-learning," but just targeted more narrowly)
can be as effective as an equivalent amount of OTJ training/experience
when it comes to making you more marketable as a professional (I am
not addressing the obvious but sometime intangible value of either as a
mind-expanding experience). However, given the times we're currently
living in, a writer or would-be writer looking for opportunities to grow
or make a career shift may have an easier time obtaining education or
formal training, both of which can be bought and paid for, than finding
an employer willing to hire and underwrite either education or training
of any sort. Sometimes your options are limited.
> However, I would suggest that people who are looking for training shouldn't
> deceive themselves that they are getting an education. They may attend an
> educational institute, and they may even take classes with people who are being
> educated, but they are doing something very different in focus and scope than
> getting an education. You are only deceiving and cheating yourself if you
> imagine otherwise. If you imagine that you are educated when you are only
> trained, then you are missing a chance to develop your mind - and may never know
> what you are missing.
>
> (The same is true, of course, in reverse. You can get an education, and still
> not have any training, as countless English majors turned tech-writer can
> testify, including me. However, that's not a viewpoint being raised in this
> discussion, so I'm not emphasizing it).
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