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: Maybe We Need a New Job Title - Summary From:"Higgins, Lisa" <LHiggins -at- carrieraccess -dot- com> To:TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 10 Apr 2000 12:58:27 -0600
> Thank you for all your input. I've received several good suggestions
> for new job titles that might more accurately describe what a
> technical writer does.
While there can be a great deal of overlap between professions, I think it
is worth pointing out that being a technical writer does not necessarily
make you qualified to call yourself any of the titles in that list. (Please
note that I'm using 'you' in the universal, not the existential, sense. So I
don't mean anyone specifically who can beat me up--just a sort of general,
amorphous, made up 'you.')
If you'll look at this phenomenon from the other side--highly skilled
administrative workers, for example, who take on the title 'technical
writer' in order to get a little more respect--this may make a little more
sense.
There are quite a few people with the title 'technical writer' who would be
better described as 'information architect,' for example; but if every tech
writer started calling him or herself an 'information architect,' the term
would become almost completely meaningless.