Re: techie or font fondler? - introspection ad nauseum

[kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com]

And Sean wrote: 
>   Well . . . I'd offer that truck driving is more concrete than 
> technical writing. For example, in the USA, you need to take a 
> specific test that gets you a specific federally-approved driving license.

Not for all driving jobs. You can pop behind the wheel of a panel truck
for some of the major delivery companies without anything other than a
drivers license and a relatively clean rap sheet, believe me.


And John wrote:

> To be a "truck driver", don't you need to a commercial license? To be a
> long-haul driver...a "real" truck driver, don't you need certain
> certifications related to training?
> 
> To promote yourself as a technical writer...what stops someone who owns a
> copy of Word from promoting themselves as a technical writer, coming in at
> low cost, and taking the position from a qualified writer?


What's to stop that "phony" tech writer? Their lack of ability to deliver
good doc. That would become apparent right away.

To divert this thread from becoming truck-centric, I want to clarify: In
ANY job I've had, if you could convince somebody you could do the job, you
got the job. And if you proved you could do it, you kept the job. If it
became apparent that you could NOT do the job, you lost the job. So you
were a "real" truck driver, shoe salesman, tech writer, etc., if you
continued to satisfy the people who paid you to do those things.

That's why I think a tech writer is somebody that gets paid to do tech
writing. There are good ones and bad ones. The good ones get laid off less
frequently, and make more money. YMMV.


Keith Cronin
who found out years ago that he was NOT a "real" Dairy Queen
counterperson, because he could NEVER master getting that little curly
thingie on the top of the ice cream cone. Seriously.
 

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