atw: Re: Accreditation
- From: James Hunt <jameshunt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 21:49:45 +1000
If accreditation did come to pass, I suspect that the results would be
rather grubbier than its proponents expect.
To start with, the involvement of universities is a dubious idea.
Universities give courses, and any accreditation that involves a
university will involve courses for the candidates. Any courses would
probably end up under the wing of English departments (certainly not
computer science departments: they are all illiterate there, which is
why we exist). The courses would be padded out with a considerable
amount of Theory of Communication and similar theoretical subjects.
This is not a Good Idea. Those of you with mathematical, scientific or
technical educations would be appalled by the abject drivel that passes
for theoretical analysis in English departments these days.
Do we really need to pass examinations on the works of Baudrillard, de
Leuze and the like in order to do the work we do? Or to meet challenges
out of the ordinary in our work?
It gets worse. Here in Queensland, about 40% or so of all writing
contracts are in the government sector. If accreditation comes about, I
can see that all government contracts will come with the condition that
only accredited applicants will be considered. Public servants play
safe. We will learn about de Leuze, whether we like it or not.
I appreciate the high-mindedness and good intentions of those who
propose accreditation, but I have not yet seen a convincing analysis of
its benefits to us, and see a real risk that we could be overwhelmed by
other people's agendas.
In the field of graphic design, similar arguments about accreditation
have been going on for some time. There are far more graphic designers
than writers (older readers may remember graphic designers as
"commercial artists"), and there are many courses in graphic design, up
to degree level. At the end of the day, however, graphic design is a
portfolio subject, and when you are looking for a job there is no
substitute for a portfolio of designs that illustrate your talents.
Many successful graphic designers have no formal qualifications at all
- just impressive portfolios.
Perhaps technical writing is also best regarded as a portfolio
profession: see what I have written, and surmise what I can write for
you.
I think it was Virginia Woolf who said in a different context that
"literature is open to all". Perhaps the same applies to technical
writing as well.
James Hunt
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