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Normally, I find the weekly TECHWR-L Poll educational; at worst I find it
amusing. This week, I'm just flat confused.
--- Deborah Ray <debray -at- raycomm -dot- com> wrote:
[SNIP]
>
> As a technical writer, how would you describe your core
> competencies to peers or prospective bosses?
>
> * Tech writing generalist
> * Tech writing generalist but industry specialist
> * Specialist in end-user documentation
> * Specialist in high-end docs (e.g., sys admin, API)
> * Specialist in online/Web-based help/documentation
> * Specialist in hardware documentation
> * Specialist in training development
> * Specialist in technical marketing writing
> * Other specialist (e.g., editor, indexer, artist)
> * Other/none of the above
I wouldn't use any of these phrases to describe my "core competencies." (Though
if someone holds a gun to my head and says the above are my only choices, I
would choose "Tech writing generalist.") Perhaps I need a context into which to
place these categories, because they sure don't have any meaning to me.
As a technical writer, I explain things to other people. Generally, that
involves me learning about what I'm explaining. I've written all sorts of docs
from high end to low end (but I'm not a big fan of those terms). I've written
training documentation, hardware documentation, software documentation,
marketing documentation. I've worked in three distinct industries, and, while
working in those industries, I've had to learn several different technologies
within those industries over time.
I've been offline, online, inline, and out of line <g> (the last on several
occasions, I've been told).
I guess my bottom line is that this is the first poll question I've found
pretty uninformative. I know that I would NOT look kindly on writing candidates
for a position who described their "core competencies" using any of these
phrases. (I wonder if that means I can't get a job with someone who thinks
these are either meaningful or useful categories?)
However, after over a year of poll questions, I won't despair of it based on
one poll that fails to register with me.
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