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Subject:RE: How did I get started in tech writing? From:quills -at- airmail -dot- net To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:18:09 -0500
I started by getting a degree in Anthropology and going into the
Infantry as a career. Without a PhD in Anthropology you can't really
work in the field. And the military was downsizing after Vietnam. I
had a brief stint at the Infantry School where I was either
developing instruction, or editing tactical field manuals. My first
exposure, which wasn't that impressive.
When I left the military I got my first job as an instructional
designer, but the company I worked for did more in documentation.
They were really a sweat shop. Moved on after a year there and
started working as a real technical writer at a bank equipment
manufacturer, and then to a major retailer, again as a technical
writer. From hardware repair to software user manuals, to business
process manuals. A fair collection of experiences.
I then went to work for an HVAC and security controls company for 10
years, first as The Technical Writer and then as the supervisor of
the fledgling Documentation Department. When it got sold to a foreign
competitor, I jumped ship to a rebates company, got laid off at 9-11
when the outsourced their entire R&D department.
I laid fallow for a year and then started work as a contractor with
MBNA, and I've been contracting ever since.
Scott
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