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RE: tool nonsense (gearing up to be a tech writer)
Subject:RE: tool nonsense (gearing up to be a tech writer) From:"Cook, Jenise" <jenise -dot- cook-crabbe -at- pacificlife -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 2 May 2001 09:14:37 -0700
Andrew, I'd love to forward your e-mail to every Southern Californian agency
and employer that refuses to even talk to technical writers who have yet to
learn FrameMaker. It's a sad fact but true in this area. "No Frame, no
chance" (about 90% of the time).
Thankfully, I found an employer who focused on my writing skills and my
professed ability to learn software quickly. They sent me to FrameMaker
training! (Sorry, no TW openings here at this time.) Now, we're learning
RoboHELP.
I was lucky. However, during my job search early last year, the cold cruel
fact in this area is you have to know the tools the employer/agency lists in
the job posting. And, for the majority of the TW jobs in this area, the
agencies/employers are asking for FrameMaker.
-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Plato [mailto:intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 8:54 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: tool nonsense (gearing up to be a tech writer)
"Swallow, William" wrote...
> If you're a newbie and are looking to GET A JOB, disregard any of the
> tools preference blabbering on here.
I just want to say, because I haven't said anything lately, that I'd like
to punch every tech writer in the nose who tells me they cannot get a job
done because it does not use the tools they love. Unlike Bill, I am a Word
bigot and wish the whole universe used Word...oh wait they do.
In any event - tools do not make the master. Masters can produce beauty
from anything.
If you want a job focus on demonstrating your skill with at communicating
complex and technical ideas. ANYBODY can learn how to use Frame. But only
the few, the proud, the gainfully employed can turn technogibberish into
slick, easy to swallow chunkettes of downhome creamy goodness.
And lastly, when a local agency calls and asks you if you know Frame - SAY
YES! Who cares if its true. If you really can learn quickly, then say yes
and just do it. EVERYBODY thinks they are a quick learner, it doesn't mean
anything when you say that.
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