TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:San Diego: Training availability? From:Kathleen Kearney Moore <kkm -at- MSI -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 19 Feb 1998 11:48:46 -0800
Hi, Techwhirlers--
I'd like to know if any of the San Diego community can recommend a consultant
or company to provide very knowledgeable, customized training courses, as
outlined below.
My documentation group *may* have the opportunity to search for training
consultants to design coursework customized to our group's needs. What we see
commercially available is of the office-productivity genre. We are looking for
overview or tips-n-techniques instruction on a fairly broad and deep basis.
More often than not, we do NOT need it (or wish it) tied to a specific program
or tool. We have traditionally worked in a mostly UNIX, slightly Macintosh
environment, but now must become equally proficient in WindowsNT.
The types of things we might want bundled into classes:
-how to optimally interoperate in a UNIX/WinNT network
-operating system, file format, conventions as issues in multi-platform
development
-optimizing search/keywork/index functionality in online text delivery
-advanced HTML, DHTML, CSS, XML, XSL, java scripting
-graphics issues in multiplatform, multi-delivery situtations
-overview (but not a hand-holding walkthrough) of broad suite of standard
WinNT tools, applications, and programs
-Java, OOP discussion for non-programmers
Everyone in the group is experienced in working with computers to create
documentation about computing, but we are transitioning in our tools,
environment, and deliverables. We don't want the generic course that starts
with "What is a file" and ends with "Save and print your <whatever>". We want
the insight of experts, illuminating our particular issues. We are a small
group, probably looking for a short series of approximately half-day/topic
classes. We don't have an extraordinary budget for this and it is unlikely that
we would, fo instance, fly someone in from the other coast.
Our alternative is to take canned training classes, where only 10-20% would be
new, interesting, or applicable. We also have the time-honored option of Buying
Books, Web Surfing, and Reading A Lot.
If you can recommend someone who might meet these guidelines, please let me
(kkm -at- msi -dot- com) know.
Thanks--
--
Kathy Kearney Moore (kkm -at- msi -dot- com)
Technical Writer, Molecular Simulations, San Diego California
Phone 619-458-9990; Fax 619-458-0136; http://www.msi.com