Salaries for New Prof/Tech Writers with Hard Science Minor?

Thu Apr 26 09:43:54 MDT 2007

Hi, all--I can't answer the initial question about putting hard dollar
figures on the value of specialized course work in combination with a
tech/professional writing major, but I strongly agree with others:
Evidence from our grads in their internship and entry-level job
experiences, as well as from conversations with local recruiters and
keeping an eye on job ads, strongly demonstrate that there is a value.

For our B.A., one third of the units must be focus area chosen from
among other relevant departments on campus (relevant meaning clearly
related to a workplace writing career goal). Some students pick a
communication focus (such as graphic design), others a focus within a
business, science, or engineering major. The latter choices can be
particularly helpful for finding jobs in high-tech industries
(computers, biotech, etc.). Often, students expand the focus into a
minor, which often is even more helpful (if only as a stronger statement
on a resume).

So, Tommy, I think you've got a good plan, and I expect you will find
it's successful for your students.--Lu
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
Louise Rehling, Ph.D.
Director, Technical & Professional Writing Program
Professor, College of Humanities
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132
HUM 413; 415-338-3988; RehlingL at sfsu.edu 

TPW Program:
http://www.sfsu.edu/~tpw
HUM 414; 415-338-7025; tpw at sfsu.edu
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------- 

-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-stc-ac-277434 at lists.stc.org
[mailto:bounce-stc-ac-277434 at lists.stc.org] On Behalf Of Barker, Thomas
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 4:39 AM
To: stc-ac
Subject: [stc-ac] Re: Salaries for New Prof/Tech Writers with Hard
Science Minor?

This is a very interesting thread to me.  We're proposing a new BA here
at Texas Tech that will have a minor as a major component of the value
of the TC degree.  The idea, coming from recent scholarship in TC
program design, is that students need to have a domain area in which
they're proficient.  For example, our poster child graduate pulled down
$55K a year in Austin straight out of college with a BA in Tech Comm and
a minor in Industrial Engineering.  

Our university offers majors in just about every area, many of which
would provide TC majors with plenty of background to talk the talk with
engineers, programmers, physicists, doctors, managers, and so on.
Whether this strategy will work is something I'm hoping to track as our
new BA (in the last stages of approval) gets underway.  

Tommy

Dr. Thomas Barker
Manager, STC Academic Community
Director of Technical Writing, Texas Tech University
thomas.barker at ttu.edu http://www.stc-ac.org

The STC Academic Community serves STC members worldwide who work as
educators and researchers in colleges and universities.  These
responsibilities involve areas of curriculum design, current practices
in technical communication, research and research funding, and academic
workplace and professional issues.

-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-stc-ac-264184 at lists.stc.org
[mailto:bounce-stc-ac-264184 at lists.stc.org] On Behalf Of Bell Neice
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 3:38 PM
To: stc-ac
Subject: [stc-ac] Re: Salaries for New Prof/Tech Writers with Hard
Science Minor?

I don't know of any actual data about suggested minors for technical
writing 
majors.

Anecdotally, I would say a computer sciences or programming minor might
help 
if you are heading toward software or hardware documentation.   An 
engineering minor (is there such a thing as an engineering minor) or an 
engineering major also seems to open the doors at a lot of companies.

Biology or other sciences minor might not do as well for someone looking
to 
get into Medical or Pharmacy writing.  Companies that are looking for 
science writers look at candidates who have a science degree, and they
don't 
tend to value the writing part of technical writing.

It also depends on what part of the country you want to live in, and
what 
companies are available there.

From: "Morgan Saarikoski" <msaarikoski at hotmail.com>
Reply-To: "stc-ac" <stc-ac at lists.stc.org>
To: "stc-ac" <stc-ac at lists.stc.org>
Subject: [stc-ac] Re: Salaries for New Prof/Tech Writers with Hard
Science 
Minor?
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 16:16:08 -0400
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I can't give a dollar amount (money depends on who you work for), but I 
would say that a minor in computer science, or any of the biology and 
engineering majors is a big plus as a tech writer!  Even a minor in
Graphic 
design will give a writer an edge.  Any of these will add to your 
marketability.

Morgan Saarikoski

System Support Engineer

Harris Corp. (GCSD)

Palm Bay, FL

From:  Andrew Hahn <hahna at uwstout.edu>
Reply-To:  "stc-ac" <stc-ac at lists.stc.org>
To:  "stc-ac" <stc-ac at lists.stc.org>
Subject:  [stc-ac] Re: Salaries for New Prof/Tech Writers with Hard
Science 
Minor?
Date:  Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:38:28 -0500
 >I would be interested in this as well, as I am a technical
>communication major with a concentration in computer science.  I
>anticipate graduating in May '08.  >  >Andy Hahn  >UW-Stout  >  >Janice
Norton wrote:  >>Is there any data out there about whether or not a
science and/or  >>computers minor adds to the marketability of
Professional/Technical  >>Communication majors and if so, how much,
i.e., are there any

 >>dollar
 >>figures? We want to properly advise our students about their minors
>>if it  >>makes a difference to their marketability.  >>
 >>---
 >>You are currently subscribed to STC Academic Community as:
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 >You are currently subscribed to STC Academic Community as:
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