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Congratulations on your choice! Now, do some homework. It's a
broad-spanning career, and involves much more than just learning RoboHelp
and FrontPage. (FWIW, I haven't heard of ANY tech-writing jobs that
require FrontPage, but YMMV. I use FrontPage some at work, but it's an
extra, taking advantage of the fact that I had a Web design background.)
Learn more about the field, and don't expect it to be so easily
encapsulated by a one-sentence description. There are members of this List
who write manuals for heavy machinery (they don't need no steenkin'
RoboHelp), and there are others who write programming manuals for software
developers. Thus, the skills a tech writer needs span an equally broad
spectrum, depending on the area market.
Join the STC, or at least peruse its Web site. Read "The Tech Writing
Game" by Janet Van Wicklen" to see if this is really the field for you.
And study your local market to see what opportunities exist, and then work
on developing the skills you'll need, which may or may not include
RoboHelp. There may be a lot of contract work, but there may not. I've
done all fulltime-employee jobs, but I have friends who stay busy as
contractors.
Yes you can make good money, if there are jobs available. And yes, you can
enter the field without years of training. But you need to learn more
about what tech writing is, and two college classes won't do it.
The fact that you found this List is a very good sign - there is a LOT of
good info here. Take advantage of it, but don't be surprised/intimidated
by the fact that there are a LOT of ways to skin the tech writing cat (to
mangle a metaphor). Good luck.
- Keith Cronin
_____________________________________
Tech writing. It's not ALL fast cars and Hollywood parties. But most of
the time it is. Really.
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