Prerequisites for a tech writing career

[CHRISTINE ANAMEIER <CANAMEIE -at- email -dot- usps -dot- gov>]

     > An actual aptitude for either writing or technology doesn't
     > seem to be on the list of must-haves, for some reason.

     I liked Maggie's comment. We see a certain number of questions from
     newbies on the list, which most people try to answer as helpfully and
     supportively as possible--but are we doing the newbies any favors if
     we sidestep the issue of aptitude?

     All the online help classes and Framemaker books in the world aren't
     going to help if your writing skills are iffy or your technological
     expertise is hovering around end-user level--or if you're not
     resourceful enough to find your own answers to most questions.

     I wouldn't try to enter this field without these qualities:
     (1) A clear, glitch-free writing style. A lot of us have to be our own
     editors. We're supposed to be the writing experts; if our own writing
     is choppy or marred by usage flaws, that's a problem.
     (2) An aptitude for technology. Having this aptitude means you know a
     lot, and what you don't know, you can learn fast on your own. You're
     always the one in the office that other people consult when they can't
     figure out how to do something in Word or Excel. You don't have to
     call tech support. Geeks respect you.
     (3) A measure of independence and resourcefulness. We can't sit in a
     cube waiting for other people to tell us exactly what to do or even
     give us all the information we need. We have to do a fair amount of
     research just to be able to formulate the right questions to extract
     information from recalcitrant SMEs.

     A good friend once told me, "I'm not good at teaching myself stuff on
     the computer. I need to take a class or have someone show me." My
     first thought was, "Don't go into tech writing." So what do you think,
     gang--can anyone learn to be a tech writer, or are there
     prerequisites? What's on YOUR must-have list?

     Christine

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