Re: More about the changes coming to tech writing

[Kaye Adkins <kadkinsphd -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Richard--Well put.

Your email is going on my office door, to join all of my other "Why you
should consider a career in tech comm" clippings.

Kaye Adkins
Professor of Technical Communication
Missouri Western State University

On Tuesday, May 6, 2014, Lippincott, Richard <RLippincott -at- as-e -dot- com> wrote:

> Not to sound like a broken record, but...no, technical writing isn't going
> away. As usual, it's changing, but it's not going away.
>
> We document the new, and so long as there -is- "new," there will be a need
> for people who do what we do. When human invention stops, then our jobs
> will stop...but at that point, we'll probably have our hands full with
> other worries.
>
> Now to the worry of the blogger: is -software- documentation going away?
> Not completely, but it's getting smaller for the reasons he states.
>
> For those who see tech writing as "user docs for software systems," you
> may indeed find the jobs are going the way of the 1920s Sears & Roebuck
> tech writers producing assembly instructions for kit houses, or the 1960s
> Zenith tech writers producing TV repair manuals. Of course, the Sears
> writer couldn't foresee the job of the Zenith writer, the Zenith writer
> couldn't foresee the job of today's SDK/API writer. Is it any wonder that
> our writers today can't foresee what people will be documenting as soon as
> ten years from now?
>
> I've said this before, I'll say it again: Our job description in three
> words is "We explain things." People will always need explanations. It's as
> simple as that. The method and media may change, but then that's happened
> before.
>
> So, as Douglas Adams would say: "Don't panic!"
>
>
> Rick Lippincott, Technical Writer
> American Science and Engineering, Inc. | www.as-e.com
> 829 Middlesex Turnpike | Billerica, MA 01821 USA | Fax +1-978-262-8702
> Office +1-978-262-8807 | rlippincott -at- as-e -dot- com <javascript:;>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+rlippincott=as-e -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com<javascript:;>[mailto:
> techwr-l-bounces+rlippincott <javascript:;>=as-e -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com<javascript:;>]
> On Behalf Of Cardimon, Craig
> Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 10:32 AM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com <javascript:;>
> Cc: Cardimon, Craig
> Subject: More about the changes coming to tech writing
>
> This is a lot, almost too much, to think about.
>
>
> http://customersandcontent.com/2014/05/06/the-death-of-technical-writing-part-2/
>
>
> http://www.doc-department.com/blog/view/183-will-there-be-any-technical-writers-in-10-years
>
>
>
>
>
> Cordially,
>
> Craig Cardimon | Technical Writer
> Marketing Systems Group
>
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