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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.
Steve Hayhurst wonders: <<This may have been discussed earlier, so excuse it
appearing again.>>
You're excused, but for the record, yes, it's been discussed repeatedly.
Have a look at the archives (www.raycomm.com) for details.
<<I've been writing for over ten years... Unfortunately, Accreditations and
Certifications have fallen by the wayside due to the need to pay the bills
and market myself.>>
If you've been doing this successfully for 10 years, why do you need
accreditations and certifications? Anyone who hires you based solely on the
letters after your name is unlikely to be a good client; a good client will
look at your track record, not your letters. And in my experience, hiring is
about making a good impression at the interview at least as much as it's
about the quality of your resume.
<<What I am looking for is suggestions on Accreditations and Certifications
that would be complementary to the Technical Writing>>
University degrees and certificates in technical writing are usually good
ones to get, since increasingly many clients are going the "credentialism"
route and won't hire you without a degree. Ditto if you can get some kind of
"expert" status in the software you use; I think Adobe and Microsoft both
offer such programs. But really, if you haven't been having any trouble
getting by thus far, don't worry too much about establishing formal
credentials unless doing so gives you personal satisfaction that goes beyond
any hypothetical employment advantage. Credentials can't hurt, and at some
point in the future (possibly as soon as a decade), they'll be an important
tool in getting a job, but they're not always worth the investment in time
and money to acquire them at the present time.
--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
"User's advocate" online monthly at
www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/usersadvocate.html
Hofstadter's Law--"The time and effort required to complete a project are
always more than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's
Law."
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