An ancient art

Re: Extremely Bad Advice, Steve Murray, Sept. 5. This advice article on Pitman Shorthand was fun to read, as I could write in Pitman Shorthand. This talent got me good jobs in Ottawa, the Northwest Territories and overseas with Foreign Affairs. In the “old” days of 1950 to even 1990, a secretary could produce quickly a typed product; the next step was trying to read the boss’s penmanship (an ancient word meaning the “art of handwriting,” not taught in schools today).

With shorthand and typing talents, I was never out of a job — some college grads today are still looking for their first one. Mary FitzGerald Bigalow, Summerside, P.E.I.