Re: RE: Technical Writer Certification

[Brian Bertrand <bertran -dot- de -dot- st -dot- jean -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Thanks for  the information, honestly for me online is the best option
because of commute and time issues.  So at present there isnt any
'certification' like what PMI does for PMPs, only certificate programs from
colleges that can be used to indicate some manner of technical proficiency,
probably most useful for folks like me who are career switchers.

Thankfully I have a steady job at present (as steady as federal contracting
ever is) and I honestly have found that my listening, planning, and critical
thinking skills have served me in better stead than any discrete knowledge
of a given piece of software or process, which I can learn on the go if need
be.  Most people use the MS Office suite for their document generation, at
least in government, so thats easy to manage.  As far as writing ability,
when I had my first interview for a tech writer job as a career switcher
from public school teaching, after looking at my samples they asked me where
I learned to write so well.  After a moment I replied that I was trying to
find a polite way to say that I paid attention in school, as the only formal
writing instruction I have ever received was part of my general liberal arts
education in public school and college.

On Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 4:48 PM, Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> wrote:

> IMO, a certificate (as opposed to "certification," which has already
> consumed enough bandwidth without starting another thread) can be an
> enhancement for someone with little or no OTJ experience and few references,
> but not much of one compared to having the experience and a good set of
> references.  In the current economy it will not do much when one is in
> competition with more experienced candidates who have both, so I would think
> of it as an investment for better times.
>
> Gene Kim-Eng
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> As someone who does not have a degree in writing, english, etc, I am
> interested in getting a technical writing certification to add to my
> credentials.  Thus far, my work and accumulating experience has been
> sufficient, but I cannot help but think that having some form of
> certification would definitely help put a bit more shine on my file.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Use Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word, or HTML and
> produce desktop, Web, or print deliverables. Just write (or import)
> and Doc-To-Help does the rest. Free trial: http://www.doctohelp.com
>
> Explore CAREER options and paths related to Technical Writing,
> learn to create SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS documents, and
> get tips on FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION best practices. Free at:
> http://www.ModernAnalyst.com <http://www.modernanalyst.com/>
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as bertran -dot- de -dot- st -dot- jean -at- gmail -dot- com -dot- 
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> or visit
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/bertran.de.st.jean%40gmail.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
> http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
>
> Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat
>
>


-- 
In Service to the Dream,

Brian C. Bertrand
SKA-Bertran de Saint Jean

Cross-sectional studies show that 100% of Russian Roulette players surveyed
had suffered no ill effects from participation.

More conservative longitudinal studies indicate the same, although it should
be noted that these studies had a high attrition rate, with 16% of
respondants being unavailable for the follow-up survey.

A bullet, laser beam, missile or charge may have your name on it, smartbombs
and bombs are addressed "To whom it may concern"..
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Use Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word, or HTML and 
produce desktop, Web, or print deliverables. Just write (or import) 
and Doc-To-Help does the rest. Free trial: http://www.doctohelp.com

Explore CAREER options and paths related to Technical Writing,
learn to create SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS documents, and
get tips on FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION best practices. Free at:
http://www.ModernAnalyst.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info. 

Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat