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Each Adobe product has a corresponding *Classroom In a Book*, complete with a
set of exercises on a disc. So... get the free 30-day trial of each product
(one at a time, whatever) and use the corresponding CIB. The CIBs can be
acquired at a discount because of your student status. See
academicsuperstore{dot}com.
First, become an expert in MS Word. Know everything there is to know about
creating, using, and (most importantly) fixing styles. Learn all you can
about Word's replaceable variables. The bulk of my work today
is reworking user manuals that were incorrectly formatted from the get-go.
Ping me and I'll tell you more. Related to that, know how to take a user
manual from PDF to Word and back again, discovering all of
the pitfalls along the way.
You might also have a look at Safari Books Online. I forget what an annual
subscription runs, but this may be a great source for you.
As for HTML, check out w3c.org. It's chock full of free resources,
including tutorials. Along with HTML, you'll want to have a basic
understanding of cascading style sheets (CSS) and JavaScript.
Just knowing where to find sample code you can borrow online, and how to
use it, will serve you well.
As I recall, Madcap Software also has a slew of free online tutorials; know
what Flare (and ancillary products) are.
Explore the free online tool, GIMP. Learn about SnagIt or a similar tool (I
use the free Greenshot).
Most of all, take a good, generic business communications course. Learn how
to write succinctly, using common, easy-to-parse English, to a business
audience. And know about all of style guides in use today
(Chicago Manual of Style, Associated Press, Microsoft Manual of Style, et
al.). Learn to view everything you're tasked to write from *the reader's
perspective*. And learn how to take the original verbiage, often written
by engineers (no offense, anyone) and rewrite it (see *common,
easy-to-parse English*). Read grammar books, such as those by Steven Pinker.
> Chris
On Fri, Jun 26, 2015 at 10:11 AM, Laura Phillips <
laurap -at- pluribusnetworks -dot- com> wrote:
> My personal favorites for learning anything are the Head First books. The
> one on HTML is very good, and I learned enough about PHP and MySQL to write
> a successful application for my previous company.
>
> Also, check out EdX, online training from Harvard, MIT, etc. and itâs
> mostly free!
>
> Laura
>
>
>
>
> On 6/25/15, 4:20 PM, "Craig Lashley" <techwr-l-bounces+laurap=
> pluribusnetworks -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com on behalf of clashley -at- mail -dot- usf -dot- edu>
> wrote:
>
> >Hello,
> >
> >I am currently in school for Technical Communication and will be
> graduating
> >next Spring. I've been trying to determine what types of software would be
> >best to purchase while I can still get a student discount. I saw a post
> >about Adobe Tech Comm Suite a few days ago. I also see Frame Maker and
> Dita
> >a lot white doing tech comm searches. Are these worth buying as an
> >individual? I've been told several times to learn HTML. I have a basic
> >understanding for coding such as Java and C++. Is there a legit way to get
> >certified HTML to show a future employer? I've done many walk through
> >tutorials on Youtube, and have a basic concept and understanding of HTML.
> I
> >feel for a future job having some sort of tangible documentation proving
> >that would benefit me. Are there other certifications outside of a college
> >degree I should look into? There appears to be a large amount of webpages
> >saying they offer certificates, but which ones actually carry weight? I am
> >working on determining what I could be doing outside of going to class to
> >help me really have an upper hand as far as employment in technical
> >writing.
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Craig
> >^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >Learn more about Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2015 Release) |
>http://bit.ly/1FR7zNW
> >
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