BS or BA in tech comm

[Edwin Dahlquist <Edwin -dot- Dahlquist -at- asu -dot- edu>]

Undergraduate degrees may be useful, as long as you understand that the demand 
for tech writers a few years back fueled a big jump in enrollment and in 
programs, many of "uneven" quality. That is, many writing programs 
with "technical" anywhere in the name were flooded with applicants, while 
providing instruction in little more than basic writing skills by English or 
Journalism instructors. The starry-eyed wannabes from those programs now have 
their undergraduate degrees, many have auxiliary skills (Framemaker, RoboHelp, 
XML, web design, programming) acquired online or from community colleges), and 
are your competition. By the time a new entry gets his or her degree, that 
flood of recent market entries will have several years of experience and solid 
portfolios.

The opinion is not to dissuade anyone from entering the field, but rather to 
act as a heads-up to anyone who believes that a "degree in tech comm" is going 
to be viewed as anything more than "one line on a resume." It is no guarantee 
of a career, a job, or even competency in writing; if you understand that early 
on, and realize that you need a lot of skills and knowledge outside that which 
the various programs provide, you should do well. 

A BS or BA in tech comm is useful, primarily because it levels the field to 
those with the degrees; those lacking the degrees will tend to be weeded out in 
the initial parsing of their electronic resumes (unless they have great 
experience and a stunning portfolio). By all means, go for the degree, but 
never believe that it will teach you what you need to know to be a competent 
technical writer--you have to learn that outside (and in addition to) the 
various programs available.
Thanks

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