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(*snip*)
>
> Hi all,
>
> I'm an aspiring tech writer and am trying to put together an impressive
> portfolio. I'm attempting to find an answer to the eternal problem of
> getting experience without having experience. So far the main technical
> writing project that I've done is for a user guide for an HTML editor.
I've
> put it on my web site at www.primeimpression.com/htmlkit.html.
Looks good ....
For portfolio tips, there's a thread in the Technical Writing forums of
the About.com technical writing site. You'll have to register (free), and
once in the forums, you can use this URL:
> I'm looking for a source (on-line or otherwise) for technical writing
> (software) projects that will allow me to show a prospective employer
that
> I'm capable of assimilating and presenting complex information. These
could
> be inadequate white papers, manuals, or just software without
documentation.
If you seek further projects to document, why not try downloading some
shareware and writing the documentation for it? If the original manual is
less than useful, your manual may take the place of the original, if
the programmer likes it.
> Any ideas or tales of personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!
Well, my portfolio is in a 8.5 x 11 "Swing-Ring" binder, by a company
named ACCO. Interestingly, the PTBB (that's "Powers That Be Bein'") at
this particular company decided not to stamp their name or logo on this
binder anywhere ... so when I needed another one several months after I
bought my first one, I had to do a *lot* of searching ...
This particular binder has plastic covered sheets, sealed on the bottom. I
use it for printouts of my Word, FrameMaker, and Nisus Writer
documents, projects from class, articles I've written and published, etc.
As time goes by, I remove older items (especially those from class) and
replace them with portions of Real Work(tm).
I also have the manuals I've written (two, so far) in a pocket of a black
denim laptop bag I picked up at Walmart. One of these I turned into a
.pdf, so I can e-mail it as necessary.
Well, I've yacked enough; I'll let the more experienced folk take a whack
at this.
Good luck, by the way ....
--gdw
> Paul
"In closing, I might recommend that besides getting a Technical
Writing certificate, any bright hopeful might also enroll in a few mind
reading classes or have work experience with The Psychic Friends Hotline.
With qualifications like that, you¹ll go far."
--J.Richardson, New TechWriter
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