How Should You Continue Your Learning Journey in Technical Communication? A Self-Assessment

By Saul Carliner | Fellow

Are you interested in training in technical communication? A bachelor’s degree? A master’s degree? A PhD?

Although all of these options exist for continuing your learning about technical communication, each type of education addresses a different need.

So which educational option best meets your needs? That depends—based on your goals, personal situation, finances, and how independently you want to study.

This interactive article helps you to assess your needs and suggests the type of program that might meet them. In it, you answer a series of questions, calculate a score, and, in the score, learn which option might best meet your needs. Following that, this article describes the learning options available, for whom each is intended, and how they differ from one another.

Step 1: Answer these questions

Answer the following questions to assess your learning needs around technical communication.

What is your goal?
1. I want to strengthen my technical writing skills (that is, your ability to write and edit content for a single publication or a focused Web- or mobile-based application).
2. I want to strengthen my technical communication skills (which incorporates technical writing skills and your ability to design not only an individual document but also a library of related content, as well as to identify appropriate technology for managing the production of that content).
3. I am not yet a technical communicator but would like to earn a credential that would qualify me for an entry-level job.
4. I am already working as a technical communicator and would like to earn a credential that validates me for the work that I am already doing.
5. I am already working as a technical communicator but would like to earn a credential that prepares me for a position with more responsibility or influence in my organization.
6. I am already working as a technical communicator and would like to work as a researcher in the field or as a senior-level consultant.
7. I have worked in the field in the past and would like to re-enter it.
How much time do you have available to study?
1. I need to continue working; I can attend as many as 32 hours of class (4 work days) per year but cannot invest much time in studying outside of class.
2. I need to continue working; I can attend as many as 32 hours of class (4 work days) per year and can invest between 1 and 3 hours in additional class preparation for as much as a week during the year.
3. Although I need to continue working part- or full-time, I can devote at least 8 hours per week to studying.
4. I can study full-time for at least 1 year, possibly longer.
How quickly do you want this credential?
1. After I begin studying, I would like to earn this educational credential within 1 year.
2. After I begin studying, I would like to earn the credential within 2 years.
3. After I begin studying, I would like to earn the credential within 3 to 4 years.
4. After I begin studying, I would like to earn the credential within 5 to 7 years.
How do you plan to pay for your education?
1. I expect my employer to cover the entire expense.
2. I expect to share the cost with my employer.
3. I have savings to cover tuition costs.
4. I have savings to cover tuition and living costs, so I can take time off of work to study (or work a minimal number of hours).
What outside responsibilities could affect your ability to study?
1. I have children in my care who are under the age of 5 and for whom I am a primary caregiver.
2. I have children in my care who are all at least age 6 and for whom I am a primary caregiver.
3. I have children at home for whom I am a secondary caregiver.
4. I have elderly parents or other adults for whom I am a primary caregiver.
5. I have elderly parents or other adults for whom I am a secondary caregiver.
6. I have no outside family responsibilities at this time.
How independently would you like to study?
1. I would prefer to work in close contact with an instructor.
2. I would prefer to perform assignments independently, with some guidance from an instructor.
3. I am comfortable working completely independently on class assignments.
Are you available to interrupt your career to return to school?
1. Not at all.
2. I could take a leave of absence from working for as much as 6 months.
3. I could take a leave of absence from working for as much as 1 year.
4. I could take a leave of absence from working for as many as 3 years.
How close do you currently live to a university that offers degrees in technical communication—or are willing to move to do so?
1. I do not live in a city that has a university or college that offers formal programs in technical communication—and I am not able to move or travel.
2. I do not live in a city that has a university or college that offers formal programs in technical communication—but I am willing to travel to class.
3. I do not live in a city that has a university or college that offers formal programs in technical communication—but I am willing to take classes online.
4. I live in a city that has a university or college that offers continuing education programs in technical communication.
5. I live in a city that has a university or college that offers degree programs in technical communication.

Step 2: Calculate your score

Assign points to your responses as follows:

a-1, b-2, c-3, d-3, e-4, f-5, g-2
a-1, b-2, c-4, d-5
a-1, b-2, c-3, d-5
a-1, b-3, c-3, d-5
a-1, b-1, c-3, d-1, e-3, f-5
a-1, b-3, c-5
a-1, b-3, c-4, d-5
a-0, b-1,c-2, d-2, e-3

Step 3: Interpret your score

Use the following table to determine what your score means. Note that the meanings are merely suggestions based on your responses. Should you wish to choose a different option, however, you might assess whether you need to make changes to your goals or whether your financial or personal situation might create friction in your efforts to achieve your goals.

If you scored:	Then the option that best suits your continuing learning seems to be:
8-14	Training. Given your goals and personal and financial situations, taking individual training courses as the opportunity arises suits your learning needs.
15-20	Technical communication certificate from a college or university. Given your goals, availability, finances, and personal situation, a formal certificate from a college or university meets your needs. If you had thought that you needed a degree, a certificate might provide a different option.
21-28	Bachelor’s degree program. Given your goals, availability, finances, and personal situations, a Bachelor’s degree meets your needs. If you had thought about a Master’s degree, and your scores suggest a Bachelor’s degree, consider how your needs differ from those required of a Master’s degree.
29-36	Master’s degree program. You have indicated that you not only have a career goal but also the time and finances needed to successfully complete a Master’s degree, which will take time outside of work, might require a move or online coursework, and involves ongoing tuition and related fees. If you are interested in a Master’s degree but scored lower, consider how you might address the time and financial issues.
37-40	PhD degree program. You have indicated that you not only have a career goal, but you also have the time and finances needed to successfully complete a PhD, and you are willing to move to a campus (although a couple of distance programs do exist). If you are interested in a PhD but scored lower, consider how you might address your availability and finances.

What are your options for continuing your learning about technical communication?

What are the actual differences among the options? That is, how do individual training programs—such as a certificate program—differ from more formal programs of training, such as a continuing education certificate and certification? How do master’s degrees differ from PhDs?

The table below identifies the different types of programs, the type of professional development they lead to, the investment of time and money and outside work required, and examples.

Learning option	What it is	What it leads to	The investment involved—time, money, outside work	Examples
Individual training courses	A short-term program intended to develop skills that can be used on the job immediately, or within the medium term (about 2 years). Usually offered over a period of days (typically 6- to 8-hour sessions) or a series of several sessions (1 to 3 hours) and involve minimal work outside of class.	Ongoing skill development	$-$$ ‡ Limited to no outside work	STC certificate programs (most of which are offered online as well as in a classroom format in conjunction with the STC Summit)
Continuing education certificate	A series of short, related courses intended to provide an entry-level credential to a field and for someone who has work experience in another field or who would like to validate themselves for a current position. Often involves some reading and assignments outside of class. Offered either as a series of day-long or short sessions (1 to 3 hours) over a period of several weeks.	A certificate	$-$$$ ‡-‡‡ Anticipate reading and homework for each class	Technical communication certificates, such as the online programs available at Cal State Hayward and Simon Fraser University (some programs are also available in a classroom format)
Bachelor’s degree program	An academic degree intended to provide an entry-level credential, prepare workers for future advanced assignments as individual contributors, and validation for a current position. Also intended to develop critical-thinking skills—in and beyond the major. Involves completing course requirements in a major as well as broader university requirements. Involves extensive reading outside of class, preparation of class assignments, group projects, and exams.	A BA degree	$$$$-$$$$$$$ ‡‡-‡‡‡‡‡‡‡ Anticipate reading, assignments, and exams	BS and BA degree programs in technical and professional communicationor information design, such as programs at Cedar College, Mount Royal University, and University of Minnesota (classroom programs)
Master’s degree program	An academic degree intended to provide an advanced credential in a field and to prepare workers for management and other leadership positions. For someone who has work experience in another field or who would like to validate themselves for a current position. Also intended to develop critical-thinking skills—in and beyond the major. Involves completing course requirements in a major. Doing so involves extensive reading outside of class, preparation of class assignments, group projects, and exams. Some programs also require a thesis or completion of a high-stakes qualifying examination.	An MA degree	$$$$-$$$$$$$ ‡-‡‡‡‡ Anticipate extensive reading, assignments, exams, and perhaps a thesis or capstone project	MA degree programs in technical and professional communication and rhetoric (including both classroom programs, such as the ones at Carnegie Mellon University and East Carolina University and online programs, such as the ones at Mercer University and Southern Polytechnic State University)
PhD degree program	Prepares people to work as researchers, faculty in universities, directors of university and college writing centers, and conduct complex consulting (if the student also has at least 10 years’ work experience). Involves extensive reading, successful completion of a high-stakes qualifying examination after completing classwork, and the completion of a major independent research project with little or no outside assistance—a dissertation of several hundred pages.	A PhD degree	$$$$-$$$$$$$$ ‡‡‡‡-‡‡‡‡‡‡‡ Anticipate extensive reading and a completely independent dissertation involving either statistical or qualitative data collection and analysis, as well as a public oral defense of the work	PhD degree programs in technical and professional communication, human-centered engineering, and rhetoric (including both classroom programs like the one at the University of Washington and online programs like the one at Texas Tech)
Certification	Not an educational program. Rather, it is recognition of professional competence as assessed by a third-party organization, usually through an exam or presentation of a portfolio, adherence to a code of ethics, and verification of ongoing professional development.	A credential, which can be placed by your name	$-$$ ‡‡-‡‡‡ (only represents cost and time to study and prepare for the test; does not consider additional training or ongoing professional development)	Certified Professional Technical Communicator™ (CPTC), offered by the STC Certification Commission

Saul Carliner (saulcarliner@hotmail.com) is director of the education doctoral program and an associate professor of education at Concordia University in Montreal. His is author of the recent book, Informal Learning Basics, a member of the STC Certification Commission board, and a Fellow and past president of STC.