Thank you so much for this - it was extremely helpful. I'm currently trying to choose between two programs I've been admitted to, both which are strong rhet/comp, but one which has tech comm as part of it and the other which has more digital media stuff. I pored through the job postings on MLA this year and it seemed like tech comm was the strong extra area to have in terms of # of posted jobs, but digital media might fit my interests very slightly better. Both offer plenty of courses for me to take, and plenty of teaching experience with a way to get at least 2-3 different courses under my belt before going on the job market (though one has opportunity to teach tech comm and the other does not).
The thing you said that's interesting is about publishing. I've gotten different stories from different people about what the "norm" is in rhet/comp (I'm coming in from a related but different background so am unfamiliar with the standards). One program seems to take the stance that it's up to the student to carve out their own path and most publishing is solo, not collaborative, so faculty across the department tend not to publish with students, and students graduate with 1-2 solo publications. The other seems to have a much more collaborative, multi-author culture where faculty are publishing with students more often, but I don't have any info yet about what their typical grad has on their CV in terms of # of pubs. I am now wondering what the "norm" really is, and if the "solo" perspective is old-fashioned or out-of-date?