TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:RE: entering tech writer field From:kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 19 Nov 2001 11:31:20 -0700
Tom and Kathryn-
My experience (and with it, my opinion) is much more in support of
Christine's and Maggie's replies to your messages than Andrew's. You do
not necessarily have to have a strong technical background (such as
engineering or programming) to get started. As much as I love Andrew
Plato, I have to disagree with him there. There are many areas of tech
writing where that sort of background would be either an asset or a
requirement, but there's also plenty of areas where it is not. This is a
field where you CAN learn as you go. But you MUST be ready, willing, and
able to learn. And you need to bring something to the party, even as a
newbie.
Tom (and Kathryn, although Tom's tone makes me aim this paragraph at him),
I'd recommend that you join the Society for Technical Communication (STC).
It sounds as if you do not know a lot about this field, and this
organization can be a valuable tool in getting up to speed on what this
line of work is all about. (Jeez - I just realized Andrew hates the STC -
I'm gonna get doubly crucified by him now!)
I also highly recommend the book "The Tech Writing Game" by Janet Van
Wicklen. It can give you a good idea of whether you might enjoy this line
of work.
There's room in this field for writers coming from a variety of
backgrounds - let's be honest, this field is made up almost entirely of
career-changers. What little kid ever told his parents "When I grow up, I
wanna be a tech-writer?"
The job market is a lot more challenging right now, but there's always
room for those that are up to the challenge, IMO. And while Andrew might
never hire me (although I seriously would like to work for/with him
someday), it's been my experience that _somebody_ will, as long as I keep
bringing something of value to their organization.
Collect Royalties, Not Rejection Letters! Tell us your rejection story when you
submit your manuscript to iUniverse Nov. 6 -Dec. 15 and get five free copies of
your book. What are you waiting for? http://www.iuniverse.com/media/techwr
Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
