Re: Advice Wanted/professionalism aside...

[Brett Wetzell <wbwetzel -at- EOS -dot- NCSU -dot- EDU>]

On Aug 16, 12:26am, Jennifer Calhoun wrote:

> Secondly, I have been advised to take a few computer programming courses.  I
> was told by my computer science dept. to take the basic intro to computer
> science which skims the various types of programming and then to take the
> course in C programming.  Is this going to be valuable enough to add to my
> already full-time load or is there something else I should look at?  I've
> taken an introductory course to the Internet(which was quite pug) and plan
> on taking a course on HTML design.  I am also taking the only tech writing
> course offered this fall.

Jennifer,

As a recent graduate (May 96) renewing his job search after a *great* stint in
an entry-level position for the same university, I can't emphasize enough how
much taking an introduction to C++ helped me. Just that course (and the PERL
I've been able to learn at work) has been responsible for at least half
of the interviews I've been on, and has enabled me to learn other tech-writing
skills. I learned to handle the Unix environment, which can run some powerful
Internet and publishing software (Framemaker, Interleaf), listservs ;), HTML,
graphics, and more.

I think software documentation is a great field to be in. However, you can't be
successful unless you are more than comfortable with computers. This is from
someone who had wordperfect 5.1 in his dorm room but insisted on writing papers
by hand his freshman year. Programming is hard and takes a lot of time, but the
experience is absolutely worth it. Email me if you have any more questions.


Brett Wetzell
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
woah! the irony! while I was just finishing this message I got a call offering
me a job... as, get this, *Web Administrator* (more irony?). If threads on this
list keep manifesting themselves in readers' daily lives, it's definetly gonna
get way too active!

(see Jennifer, take programming classes!)

=-) =-) =-) =-)  =-) =-)  =-) =-)  =-) =-)  =-) =-)  =-) =-)  =-) =-)  =-) =-)

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