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: expectations of an entry-level writer From:Megan McMacken <mcmackme -at- FRC -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 28 Oct 1997 11:51:33 -0500
Bill, thanks for sticking up for students who are looking for entry-level
jobs straight out of school.
I was one of those students five months ago when I was getting ready to
graduate with a B.A. in Professional Writing. My college, Cedarville
College, is this >< close to requiring all Professional Writing majors to
have internships, preferably between their junior and senior years. The
school can't require it, though, because like you said, some parts of the
country just don't have much to offer when it comes to technical writing
jobs.
I grew up in a small farming town in mid-Michigan and spent all of my
summers there while I was in college. I tried my hardest to get a summer
internship with a local company that was looking to hire someone to help
them with their ISO9000 documentation. But after six weeks of calling the
company nearly every day to let them know that I was still interested in
working for them if they got okays from the right people, I gave up.
Apparently they had decided not to create the position even though they had
interviewed me for it. My "internship" ended up consisting of creating
websites for various businesses and organizations during my junior and
senior years.
I was fortunate enough to be hired as an entry-level employee here at FANUC
Robotics. In fact, they advertised for an entry-level person. When I
interviewed with one of the vice presidents, he told me that he likes to
hire hardworking, high-achieving entry-level (read: straight out of
college) people so that the company can "grow" them into top-notch employees
who will serve the company well for the next twenty, thirty, or forty years.
I'm glad that FANUC was willing to give me a chance to prove that I'm smart
enough and dedicated enough to contribute to the company even if I am "just"
an entry-level employee.
Regards,
Megan McMacken
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
Megan E. McMacken
Product Development and Documentation
FANUC Robotics North America, Inc.
Rochester Hills, Michigan
megan -dot- mcmacken -at- fanucrobotics -dot- com
