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Journals by EmailGuest post by Peggy Harvey.
In today’s world of technology changing in the blink of an eye, ongoing professional development isn’t an option for technical communicators, it’s a requirement. Over the past decade the field of technical communication has grown and gained more respect as a legitimate profession, and the complexities of the job and skill base required of technical communicators have also increased. Some of what’s new we can learn on the job—if we have a job—but sometimes we need to obtain the skills to stay vital in other ways.
When it comes to professional development in tech comm there are a lot of options. If you’re gainfully employed, enjoying what you do, and just need to brush up on the latest tool, then probably just a training seminar or a short online class is all you need. But if you’re not employed, or employed in a different capacity than you’d like to be, then you might want to consider a bigger educational commitment to make yourself more marketable as a technical communicator in today’s world.
In 2008 I stepped out of the working world to go back to school to earn my master’s degree in technical communication. While I’d started my career as a technical writer in a software development environment, I’d changed roles along the way, and by 2008 I was wondering how I’d gotten on the train I was on and, more importantly, how I could get off of it. I decided earning an advanced degree was the right decision for me, so in January, 2009, I took the plunge and started graduate school as a full-time student.
Making the Decision
If you’re thinking about going back to school to earn an advanced degree a few things you should consider are:
- What is my financial situation? If you’ll be paying for your education yourself this is obviously one of the first things to consider. Even at a state school, graduate school is expensive (trust me). If you do like I did and go full-time you’ll need to make sure you can do without an income during that time.
- Why do I want to go back to school? Or, put another way, what do I want the end result to be? In May, 2008, when I was first looking into my program, I sat in my advisor-to-be’s office and told him I wanted “to catch up with the field of tech comm.” Throughout the program I never lost sight of that goal. (Along with the goal of wanting to get not just any job, but a good job as a technical communicator when I was done.)
- Do I have the determination it will take? Whether you’re going full-time or part-time and taking a class or two at a time while you work, graduate school is no small commitment. Make sure you understand that before you start—and it will still probably be different than you think.
Getting the Most Out of School
Once you’ve decided to go back to school I highly recommend you make the most out of your time as a student. Keep in mind that an academic program is just that: academic. Academic programs are good at teaching you how to think but they don’t always provide all of the practical skills technical communicators need, such as tools knowledge or authoring techniques. Augmenting your education with practical opportunities will make you a more well-rounded technical communicator (and better job candidate) in the long run.
Here are some ways I’ve made the most of my experience as a tech comm student:
- Get what you want out of the program—don’t let it define you. When I had to select a book to review in a theory class I chose Anne Gentle’s Conversation and Community: The Social Web for Documentation rather than something more theoretical. For my final project in the same class I explored the idea of user-generated content and highlighted Adobe Community Help. For my capstone project, I put together a Help system for a product that didn’t have one. Selecting practical project topics whenever the opportunity presented itself made my academic program much more meaningful to me.
- Take advantage of student discounts. No, I don’t mean movie tickets and Disneyland (although those are good, too), I mean discounts to professional societies. Most professional organizations, including STC, SIGDOC, and UPA, offer membership discounts to students. While you can, take advantage of the opportunity to join organizations like STC at the discounted rate.
- Get involved in student or local professional chapters. If you have a student STC chapter at your school, seek out the faculty advisor and be a part of it. Or get involved with the local professional chapter. My local STC chapter welcomed my input and was glad to have me at meetings. We now have two student members on our Administrative Council.
- Participate in professional events. Over the course of my program I attended a conference on DITA that was held on my school’s campus; listened to webinars on FrameMaker and SEO put on by my local STC chapter; and attended the 2010 STC Summit in Dallas (taking advantage of the discounted student registration rate).
- Network, network, network. Start networking early, before you really need to. Saying you’re a student is a lot less threatening to people than when your focus is on finding a job. Start building relationships at the beginning; later, when you are looking for a job, you’ll be amazed at what the fruits of your labors may bring.
Peggy Harvey is currently wrapping up her M.S. in Technical Communication at North Carolina State University, graduating from the program in December. She serves as Treasurer and Membership Manager for the STC Carolina Chapter and is an active member of the technical communication community. After a two-year hiatus from corporate America she has begun her post-education job search and expects to re-enter the working world as a practicing technical communicator soon. You can reach her at peggy(at)connectingtocontent.com or follow her on Twitter.
Flickr photo credit: bruinshorty, http://www.flickr.com/photos/bruinshorty/3873037675/.
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3 Comments to 'Back to School: Advice from a Tech Comm Master's Student'
August 3, 2010
Thanks, Peggy, for your candid story (and Ben for hosting it).
I think the three litmus questions are spot on. In fact, the main reason why I didn’t go back to school to get a graduate degree is that I could never make a strong case on question #2.
I couldn’t argue how what I might learn would serve me in a future job in a feasible way – which doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have, I just didn’t see it for my situation and my career.
But as someone who has flirted with the idea, I commend you for it and envy you for being on the road not taken – by me.
Oh, and by all means, yes: DO get involved, participate and network!
August 4, 2010
Great accounting on why getting a degree in technical communication is a good thing but not always the best thing to do. One should really consider the purpose going to school to specialize in “technical communication” so as to know what to expect, since it is a very vast field of expertise.
I am 25, I graduated in technical communication in Paris last year and I feel I got to see “glimpses” of what documentation can be, thanks to varied classes such as translation, e-learning, controlled languages, web design, information architecture, XML and of course technical writing.
But in my opinion, the real advantage of it was that it was a part-time training: I worked as a trainee in a bank and documented software for one year. Thus, I had the time to see what being a technical communicator could mean in such a particular context. For instance, a few of my schoolmates decided to switch and work in domains related to IT and/or communication other than documentation.
As for networking, I could not agree more: it is definitely the best way to meet other technical communicators, learn, progress, and evolve. I’m more than ever in touch with my schoolmates and a good deal of us had job opportunities precisely because we did keep in touch.
August 4, 2010
Kai – Thanks for your comments. You’re right, it’s hard to justify going back to school when you have stable employment and can’t see how it might help. I actually started thinking about going back to school many years ago, but it was only when my circumstances changed dramatically that I finally made the jump and did it. Sometimes it’s just too hard to leave our comfort zone if we can’t clearly see the payout on the other end.
Cyril – Sounds like you graduated from a great tech comm program! I agree, practical work experience should be an integral part of one’s tech comm education, particularly for undergraduate programs or people who are changing direction to a new career. Since I have previous experience as a technical writer I didn’t take advantage of internship opportunities through my program, but you’re right, I should have mentioned them. Thanks for bringing it up.