Re: Math vs. writing

[Barb Miller <millerb -at- TCPLINK -dot- NREL -dot- GOV>]

     I had to get in on this one. I was a math major in college and have
     been in communications for 20 years. I had a two-year degree from a
     junior college (that's what we called them back then) then worked five
     years as an editor--one doing technical editing for an electronics
     magazine.

     I quit work when my first child was born (we did that back then). When
     I went back to get my bachelors, I thought I would like to teach. I
     looked at 52 hours of English versus 30 hours of math and made my
     choice. Since my SAT math and verbal scores back in high school were
     only a percentage point apart, it wasn't a hard choice.

     While waiting for a teaching job, I took a temporary job as technical
     editor here at NREL (known as the Solar Energy Research Institute
     [SERI] back then). And I've been here ever since. I could really edit
     those equations!

     My son recently graduated as a mechanical engineer and had no writing
     courses other than Freshman comp. I tried to get him to take a
     technical writing class, but engineering majors have little choice of
     electives (plus his high school English teacher had convinced him he
     couldn't write!). I wish him well. The engineers I work with here do
     almost as much writing as I do (proposals, conference papers,
     technical reports, etc.)

     Barbara Miller
     National Renewable Energy Laboratory
     millerb -at- tcplink -dot- nrel -dot- gov