Re: Suggestions for professional development

[rbilbao -at- us -dot- amadeus -dot- net]

Ilana said:
I find myself in a position that all of you will probably envy.  I am in a
permanent position, working for a computer company as a sole technical writer.
Nice people, nice organization, no work.  At the moment, I am being kept on
because there are several large projects which are "just about to drop".  When
they do, I will probably be overworked like the rest of you.
My dilemma,  what to do during the "lull".  No-one here seems much to care, as
long as I am quiet and keep to myself.  So, I decided, I will take the
opportunity (over the next weeks, months?) to progress in my technical writing
skills.  Any suggestions?  I thought about learning Java script over the Net, I
am not a programmer though. Is it feasible to learn JAVA script by myself.  What
other skills (applications) can I learn that will stand me in good stead for my
future?



That is a pretty enviable position. More to your credit though, is that you are
planning to use your free time wisely.

JavaScript is a good start if you have a solid HTML background. Other
technologies I'd consider learning are ASP or XML. If I had that kind of time
though I'd rather invest it in learning more about hardware and build my own PC.
I'd also try to learn a lot more about PC security. However, since that's time
you're being paid for, you should probably give something back. There's some
documentation somewhere just yearning to be written, I'd look for that and offer
to do it. You've recognized that you're in an enviable position, that means
others at your company have probably recognized it as well. Instead of keeping
to yourself, this might also be a good time to build relationships that could
benefit you later.

Anyway, if you do want more web programming skills a good starting point is
webmonkey.com. Some of the articles are bite-size introductions to broad topics
that really help get your feet wet.

Good luck!





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