Jump Start -- by Mark Sproxton

Sitting behind his desk attentively typing away, a knock comes at the door. It's Candice from the office at the end of the hall. She needs some help with pamphlets her unit is preparing. Although Darren Tenor works for a separate team, he's the only technical writer on the floor, and he often lends a hand when time permits.

The recent graduate of Mount Royal's technical writing program admits he took a bit of a winding road to his current position. After graduating from the University of Calgary with a liberal arts degree, he found the type of employment he wanted was difficult to locate.

"I wasn't getting where I wanted to go," he said. "People are looking for something specific. I like to write, and looked at (technical writing) as a way to combine my old education with my new education."

Now he spends his time writing internal manuals, pamphlets to be distributed to the public, editing website content, and on an on. "The most important part of my job is getting along with my co-workers," Tenor explained. "They may have information that's wrong, and I have to fix it, or conversely, I may have written something wrong and they have to tell me. You have to live with that. You can't take it personally."

For those considering a technical writing as a possible career, Tenor recommends contacting the Alberta chapter of the Society for Technical Communication at 230-6072. Regular informal gatherings are held, and are open for any interested in discussing technical writing as a possible career, he said.

In Calgary, many post-secondary institutions offer several educational opportunities for careers in information/communications. Many other options are also available within the city to obtain training and/or experience in this field. Here's a few possibilities:

Those interested in public relations as a possible career should visit the Calgary chapter of the Canadian Public Relations Society. Not only will you be put in contact with working professionals, but you'll be able to check out employment/volunteer opportunity listings.

Many training opportunities are available by contacting companies located in the Yellow Pages under Internet (other than access) and Multimedia Services.

The Calgary Board of Education, through the Continuing Education division, regularly offers communication courses covering topics such as business writing, or effective communication within the workplace. Information is available by calling 777-7200, or look for a free course booklet at newstands across the city.

Volunteering is another great way to gain experience in communication/information areas. Check out the Volunteer Calgary website for potential opportunities.

The Society for Technical Communication will also have information on any possible volunteer opportunities in that field of work.

Alberta College of Art & Design offers a four-year diploma, or Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in visual communications where students learn communication through a variety of medium.

Mount Royal College's Bachelor of Applied Communications degree allows specialization in print and broadcast journalism, electronic publishing, public relations and technical writing. A one year Professional Writing certificate program is also available.

A two-year Broadcasting Diploma concentrates on radio broadcasting in the first year and television broadcasting in the second year working at stations on, and off-campus, can be taken at MRC.

University of Calgary offers a four year Bachelor of Arts with a major in Communications.

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) offers day time and evening courses in technical writing, while the Faculty of Continuing Education offers a Professional Writing program with a technical writing stream.

SAIT also offers courses in:

--Cinema, Television, Stage and Radio (CTSR,) which is a two-year diploma with specializations in broadcast news, film and video, radio, television, and multimedia.

--Journalism (JA,) a two-year diploma with specialization in photojournalism or print media writing.

--Library and Information Technology (LIT), which is a two-year diploma program. The program includes general academic courses as well as specific library courses in order to broaden the base of the library technician's knowledge.

--Multimedia, a two-year diploma where students are trained in graphic design, digital audio, digital video and interactive multimedia production and programming techniques, as well as project management principles. Students also receive basic training in animation, and CD-ROM production.