Degree Question

[TERESA DIANE STUBBS <stubbs -at- ACAD -dot- MWSC -dot- EDU>]

To everyone,

I am a senior majoring in English Technical Communications. This is a
recently implemented major at my college. The problem is that I do NOT feel
adequately prepared to enter this field. The head of our department
insists that ETC majors take the same number of literature classes as the
other English majors do. The only classes for a BA in ETC are
'Introduction to Technical Publication,''Writing in a Technical World,'
'Desktop Publishing,'and an Internship. We take three journalism courses:
'Basic News Reporting,' 'Organizational Writing,' and 'Copy Editing.' All
other classes are basic composition and literature classes.

I feel competent that I can write memos and letters and I feel competent
in my ability to put together a newsletter or advertisement, but any
good secretary can do that. When I read the messages on this network, I
realize that I don't know most of what is being discussed. Online
documentation: what is that?

The two basic programs we use in most of our classes are Microsoft Word
and Pagemaker. Are these enough? Do you even use these?

The head of our ETC program is a woman whose experience
and educaiton are phenomenal. She is a dynamite person and I feel that our
program has a lot of possibilities, if we could only get the department to
see that our degree should address more technical areas.

I would be so greatful to all who would address this concern of mine. I
would like to know from people who are in the field what kinds of classes
would best prepare us for careers in Technical Communication. I hope to
soon be on your side of the screen.

Thank you,
Teresa Stubbs
stubbs -at- acad -dot- mwsc -dot- edu