Career change to tech writing

[Adrienne Kelley]

Browsing through the recent archives, I can see that it's been *at least* a
week since a newbie has appeared asking for help, so...consider me this
week's offering. :)

My background: I have 75% of a BA in journalism, a full BA in sociology, as
well as more than 10 years' work experience in a variety of administrative
functions, including proofreading for a couple of small local papers way
back when.  Currently I work for a small insurance trust, where I do the
occasional "technical" writing, including explanatory documentation for our
customers, our plan documents, and a company procedure manual.  It's been a
long road for me to discover technical writing as a doable career choice for
a quasi-geek; until recently I did not have the proper focus, but now that I
do I'm dedicated to going for this with guns a-blazin'.

Based on the research I've done so far, it seems to me that the best place
to start would be with some "re-education": namely, a certificate program in
technical writing and editing.  While I feel confident that I can parlay my
experience and skills into transferable assets, I understand (having worked
for a time in HR) the importance of appropriate credentials.  My question to
you all is, am I close to the mark on this?  I'm looking into my local STC
chapter, as well as open-source and shareware work, but I really believe
that an educational program is important, especially for someone changing
careers.

This is a great website and list, by the way - thanks to all who contribute
to it, and I look forward to communcating with you in the near future as a
peer. :)

- Adrienne Kelley