Definition of Tech Writer, was STC is broken

[Gene Kim-Eng]

Whether working as a direct employee or a contractor,
there are plenty of varieties of technical writing that I
would not consider myself qualified to do.  They are
nevertheless still technical writing, and those who can
do them are as much technical writers as I am.  In
those particular subjects, more than I am.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ned Bedinger" <doc at edwordsmith.com>
>> What I see happening in this discussion is that there are a lot
>> of people here who seem to believe that technical writers can
>> easily jump from any "technical" subject to any other, so any
>
> As contractor, my bread-n-butter can depend on being able to jump and 
> high. I get a kick out of changing jobs, but absolutely, I've paid the 
> dues, hopefully all of them if such a condition even exists, to have 
> the title Technical Writer, and I value it too much to misrepresent it 
> as my qualification for doing just any technical writing work.
>
> I think maybe this lesson comes with paying the hard dues, which are 
> not the kind that fold.
>
>> subject that is sufficiently different from what they do, have
>> done or can do that they can't make that easy jump must not
>> be "technical writing" simply because they can't do it.
>
> There be business writing.