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.
It does seem to be true that *generally* there isn't really a "career path"
for tech writers. When I first switched to tech writing (after a dozen+
years in my first career), my manager-to-be made it clear during the
interview process that if I expected to advance into management, tech
writing wasn't a good path. That was fine with me because I didn't (and
still don't) want to be in management.
But... I don't see why it should be any different for a tech writer to
advance in a managerial track than it would be for a software developer?
Engineers are promoted all the time to positions in which they'll be
focusing on "manager things", not on the senior/design/architect tasks of a
Principal Engineer. And likewise for a typical engineer-to-product shift.
I do know of a few companies (such as Salesforce.com) that have career paths
similar to developers', including the title of Principal Tech Writer. And
it's expected that the Principal Writer have broad influence over teams and
products, just as a Principal Engineer does.
Just some musings,
-Monique
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Visit TechWhirl for the latest on content technology, content strategy and content development | http://techwhirl.com
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
