Re: art as role in tech writing

[Max Wyss <prodok -at- PRODOK -dot- CH>]

Melonie,

as you say, one can decide whether to specialize or to generalize. There is
room for both. And both rarely will collide.

The generalist may more likely end up with smaller companies, and be "teh
documentation department", whereas the specialist more likely ends up with
bigger corporations. At least, this is my experience as a generalist. Right
now, my biggest client has some 100 employees, and for them, I am a
specialist (I only translate for them). The biggest company where I am a
generalist has 12 employees.

Whether one is more suited to be a specialist or a generalist depends a lot
on one's talents and abilities to adapt to different circumstances. When
one goes for generalist, one also must be aware of the limits. This
requires quite a bit of honesty towards oneself and also towards the
client/employer.

Just my Zweiräppler.


Max Wyss
PRODOK Engineering AG
Technical documentation and translations, Electronic Publishing
CH-8906 Bonstetten, Switzerland

Fax:  +41 1 700 20 37
e-mail:  mailto:prodok -at- prodok -dot- ch    or    100012 -dot- 44 -at- compuserve -dot- com


Bridging the Knowledge Gap ...

... with Acrobat Forms ... now for belt drive designers at

       http://www.prodok.ch/prodok/riemen.html




_____________




>Howdy,
>
>One of the greatest options we have in our profession is whether or not
>to specialize. Some people like to be very good in one area while others
>(like me) like to know a bit about a lot of different areas. I think it
>depends
>on what you want to do. Because I have added design, graphics, and
>marketing writing to my experience, I am now more marketable to the
>general public. If an experienced writer is interested in an expert in--say--
>hardware writing, they will probably pass me up. On the other hand, most
>recruiters love to see my varied background.
>
>I am just now going back to contracting. My past experience as a graphics
>artist will probably not get me a tech writing job; however, people who don't
>really understand technical writing are easily impressed by the long list of
>programs I have on my resume. It helps me get the job; then I can try to
>educate people on the importance of writing ability verses software expertise.
>
>Also, my past design experience does come into play. I was just called
>about a job designing a template for on-line help. Having that design
>experience increased my chance of getting that contract.
>
>Having design experience is definitely not required in being a tech writer;
>yet every skill we add makes us more marketable when looking for a job.
>If you like staying employed for long periods of time in one place which does
>not require these skill, it probably never will come into question. However,
>when I look for a job, I love having such a wide variety of skills--it gets me
>noticed.
>
>Melonie Holliman


 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000