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.
I don't mean to discourage you, but I would question whether it's
really worth the money to go out and get Framemaker. Three reasons, in
no particular order:
(1) There are plenty of TW jobs out there that don't require Frame.
I've worked four years now without ever using Framemaker. (Main tools
I've used recently: Word, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, RoboHelp... all but
Word I learned on the job.)
(2) Tools are only part of being a tech writer. A really solid writer
can pick up the tools as they go. It's more important to know how to
write well and organize information. Also--pragmatically
speaking--it's wise to iron out any idiosyncrasies in your grammar,
punctuation, or capitalization. Many employers will regard
non-standard English usage as a red flag.
(3) Many employers who insist on experience in specific tools will
also insist that it be *on-the-job* experience. "I taught myself
FrameMaker at home" doesn't go far with these employers. I know,
catch-22: how do you get the experience on the job when you can't get
the job without the experience? We've groused about that endlessly on
this list. Usually we manage to get a break somewhere and then learn
the tools on the job, but in the current job market, it's harder to
get a break.
A few other random mini-answers to your other questions: FM for Mac
and PC should be very very similar if not identical (someone correct
me if I'm wrong on that). Most businesses probably use the most recent
version or the one before that. And the upgrade version will not
install without a previous version on hand.
Good luck to you.
Christine
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Be a published author! iUniverse gives you: a high-quality paperback, a
custom cover design, and distribution to 25,000 retailers. And it's
affordable. Join our almost 10,000 published authors today. http://www.iuniverse.com/media/techwr
Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
