Career Spotlight

Career Spotlight focuses on talented individuals making their mark in the diverse world of technical communication.

Tom Burns

Give us your quick bio:

I went to art school in the 1970’s and studied stone lithography but left school to take a job in the typesetting industry. On a whim I bought a Macintosh in 1987 and used it to freelance typesetting.

Eventually, I developed skills as a digital illustrator. After the dot-com bust, I went back to school at Southern Poly and earned my BS in Technical and Professional Communication.

After a semester of introductory courses, I realized I could apply all of my previous experience to this profession. The emerging opportunities looked promising, and I decided I had made the correct choice.

I got a job soon after graduation in 2003 and continued with SPSU in the graduate program. I received the MS in Information Design last August.

Give us the 5 W's about the program/school:

Who: Program Director is Joyce Carter
What: PhD, Technical Communication and Rhetoric
Where: Texas Tech, Lubbock Texas
When: Class starts June 6
Why: Why not?
How: Completely online with a 2 week seminar in Lubbock each May.

How did you decide on this program?

I listened to those who were in the program. I first heard of the PhD program from Professor Victoria Sharpe when I was an undergrad. Later Dr. Dayton told me about the online program. I decided on Texas Tech because of its great faculty and reputation and especially because I could continue to work and take the classes online in Atlanta.

What are you goals, and how does this degree figure into them?

At this point, my main goal is to complete the program. My focus is with visual rhetoric, and I plan to continue working in my present position as an illustrator.

What are you plans after you become Dr. Burns?

I believe there will be unprecedented opportunity for technical communicators in the coming years. I hope to develop and research 3D technical documentation. Perhaps I can do some writing.