Re: Experience VS Ability[how to learn tools]

[Buck & Tilly Buchanan <writer -at- DHC -dot- NET>]

Dan BRINEGAR wrote:
>
> I know no one will read the stuff I post on the weekend, but I do have a
> point, and I hope it will support everyone's position <smile>
>
> Buck wrote:
>
> >For those beginners .... please buy, borrow, or steal [snip] the four most
> >important
> >packages in current TW ads.  They are .... [snip]
> >....  Buy the "Dummies" book for each of them, then go home and spend
> >24 hours on each package.  You're now qualified to put the names of that
> >software in your resumes.
> >
> >Cost?  If you don't consider it important enough to spend $2000 for a
> >proper start to your career, then you should try teaching.  You know
> >what they say; Those who can't, teach,  etc... .
>
> But it costs about $4000 to get certified to teach these days....<grin>
>
> And then  Nora Merhar said (before I could say something similar):
>
> >Whoa, Buck!
> >
> >As a broke and in-debt graduate student, I had NO resources with which
> >to buy software--nor did I have a PC on which to put that software.
>
> As one who's pathologically incapable of *choosing* which hill to die on, I
> tend to die on lotsa different hills every couple of years. Perhaps as a
> result, I haven't actually *seen* $2000 in one place sin ce I got out of
> the Army (at which time I spent everything on clothes toys and housing).
> [please keep reading...]
>
> Earlier, someone else mentioned that it might be necessary to "break out
> the credit cards and pay $900 to get Frame."
>
> Credit Cards?
>
> Anyway, there's a way out of this:
>
> Community College!!!!!
>
> When I went back to school (with the last wad of cash I had left over), I
> learned about two-thirds of the tools I needed to get my start in "Open
> Entry/Open Exit" classes, and then volunteered for all sorts of STC
> projects and documentation projects on campus... where I gained practical
> experience with those tools....
>
> I *just left* a gig at a community college, and I can assure you that they
> still have these classes as well as full-scale courses for the "97"
> versions of these tools (being so much more complicated).
>
> They generally don't teach Frame or ILeaf there, but you can at least buy
> Frame fer about half price at the Campus BookStore (and all the "Dummies"
> books).

Great advice, Dan.  Tilly and I just finished a course in Developing
Windows 95 (Pre-req to Microsoft Professional Certification).  I'm 67 so
why would I do this.  Because it's there.  AS an 8th grade dropout and
terribly embarrased that I made the decision to leave school and join
USAF 52 years ago, my guilt forces me to keep trying to acquire more
knowledge.

Cost of the course at Tarrant County Junior College: only $120 for each
of us and that course like all the others, makes it easier to do our
jobs as Software Documentation Engineers!!!!!! Nah.  We're just Tech
Writers and so proud of it.  Don't need additional titles.



Buck Buchanan
writer -at- dhc -dot- net
Arlington, TX


p.s. We are switching to Ileaf 6.0 and no longer need our FrameMaker
5.1.1.  Will sell it (CD-ROM version) with all documentation for $225.
If you're interested, send money order to:

Buck Buchanan
4816 Kelly Elliott Rd.
Arlington, TX 76017

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