Re: Survey Results -- Certification follow up

[David Hailey <dhailey -at- ENGLISH -dot- USU -dot- EDU>]

Hi all,

I,ve been gone for quite a while.  Just got back today.  The reason I was
gone was because I was crunching numbers that relate to Michael's post.

I have gone through 2500 pages of job postings, looking for common threads
in what industry is looking for.  The results are scheduled to go to
_Technical Communication_ in a few weeks, but I though you might like a
sneak peek at one or two of the "strands."

Michael is exactly right that industry is not particularly interested in
certification.  What I can add, however, is industry is also not
particularly in technical communication degrees.  In job listings requests
(not requirements) for TC or comparable degrees have gone down from 30% in
1994 to (are you ready?) 6% of the most recent 100 postings.  Only 18% are
interested in any degree of any type.  Like Michael, I have been asking
employeers what they think this means.  Basically, they are giving technical
writing degrees a big oh-hum.

I believe that I know the cause of this phenomenom, but I am more interested
in your opinions.

Dave Hailey
Asst. Proffessor
Professional Communications
Utah State University
fahailey -at- english -dot- usu -dot- edu


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