Re: Do you need a degree?

["Sims, Linsey C. (EXCH)" <LCSims -at- INTERMEDIA -dot- COM>]

I agree that you can make as much of a contribution to the field if
you don't attend graduate school--and I believe that's true in any
field, probably even law or medicine, because the individual's ability
to understand and to learn independently make the world of difference.

However, we may want to reconsider suggestions that technical
communication skills do not improve with higher education simply
because they are not typically quantifiable.  That is, just because we
don't measure writing skills in a numerical way doesn't mean that we
can't greatly improve the profession both by offering graduate degrees
(and certificates) in the universities and by acquiring those degrees
as students.

Knowing "where the verb goes" is a skill just like knowing where the
data goes.  We can say that  writing skills do improve in writing
programs if you will accept the following as evidence: students claim
that this education improves their skills.  (Have you heard anyone
come out of a writing program claiming their skills got worse?  That
they learned little?  Actually, there may be a few, but I suspect they
are rare.)

Which is not to say that I think graduate programs are for everyone or
should be--I just want to point out that they do provide some real and
specific values to beginning writers, and we shouldn't dismiss them by
saying "you could do just as well without them."

In terms of salary, people with advanced degrees probably do have some
advantage.  Certainly in terms of advancement, there are some jobs for
which hiring executives want only to see master's level people.  I'd
hate to tell a young tech writer that the degree was unnecessary and
have s/he later hit a promotion ceiling too early.

Linsey Sims
Technical writer
Intermedia Communications
LCSims -at- Intermedia -dot- com

----------
From:  Molis, Debbie [SMTP:Debbie_Molis -at- FREDDIEMAC -dot- COM]
Sent:  Monday, June 16, 1997 5:11 PM
To:  TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Subject:  Do you need a degree?


I agree, if graduate education is right for you, then do it. But if
you
don't want to attend graduate school, you shouldn't have to in order
to
become a technical communicator.
Sometimes the reality of $20,000 for two more years for no additional
dollars added to the annual salary is hard to swallow.

 I also believe you can make just as much of a contribution to the
field of
technical communications if you don't attend graduate school, whether
for
technical communications or another field,  than if you did.


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