Revised TECHWR-L "Paragraph"

[Bianca Thomas <bmt -at- ICON -dot- CO -dot- ZA>]

Firstly, thanks to everyone who responded - your comments proved most
useful. I have taken a lot of your advice and have even quoted some of you
(with permission, of course). Here is the new "paragraph" (which has grown
considerably!):

Technically speaking?

If you have a love of the written word as well as an interest in things
technical, from engineering to computer networks, why not combine the two
and become a technical writer. Technical writer Michael Uhl says, "In an
increasingly technology-oriented society, companies need professionals who
can combine excellent communication skills with technical knowledge.
Technical communicators provide the essential service of connecting an
audience to a product or service. With this increased need and demand,
industry has boosted salaries and benefits to those who can fill this
critical need." 

When it comes to qualifications in this field, a technical writing degree
is often recommended, but certain employers tend to disagree. Omnimark
Technologies Corporation Technical Communication Manager Mark Baker says,
"A degree in technical writing in not best, at least not in all situations.
Tech writing degrees don't give enough breadth in the humanities or enough
depth in technology. They may be useful in addition to these things, but
they are no substitute for them. I look for writers with a degree in
humanities, an abiding interest in technology and mastery of a programming
language. A tech writing degree won't help a candidate who does not have
these things first." In-house training is also often available to
entry-level applicants. Candidates with a technical background, for example
engineers or scientists, also often pursue a career in technical writing
after having been in the engineering/ science field for some time.

A good source of tech writing jobs is the technical writers mailing list,
techwr-l. For instructions on how to subscribe visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ or ask email admin -at- raycomm -dot- com for more
info. Not only does the TECHWR-L list provide regular job postings to its
subscribers, it is also a great source for information and support. Owned
and moderated by veteran techie Eric J. Ray, the list provides valuable
commentary and discussion on issues related to technical writing. If you
are a tech writer or want to be one, the TECHWR-L list is the place to be. 

Another good technical writing resource is the web page of the Society for
Technical Communications (STC) which can be found at http://www.stc-va.org.
The site houses a jobs database and links to other useful sources of
information for both professionals and wannabes. 

Salaries in the technical writing field are high. Technical writer Bob
Morrisette comments, "Contractors making $40 to $50 an hour can earn $80 to
$100,000 and
regular employee pay scales range up to $80,000, maybe more. There are more
female than male tech writers and the average pay is almost the same for
both." According to the latest salary survey by the STC, technical
communicators? salaries start at and can reach as high.

(I'm still waiting for my copy of Acrobat Reader to download so that I can
get the STC figures).

This "paragraph" will be part of a larger article on hot jobs and employer
trends (what employers want from candidates).

Thanks again,

Bianca Thomas


Bianca Thomas
Freelance Journalist
For clips of my work and an online resume, visit my home page at
http://www.icon.co.za/~bmt/
Email me for more information on my corporate writing services

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