[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Author Index (this month)][Thread Index (this month)][Top of Archive]

Re: New to Technical Writing

Subject: Re: New to Technical Writing
From: Jo Francis Byrd <jbyrd -at- byrdwrites -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 01 Jan 2003 22:14:27 -0600


Shannon,

Andrew's advice is good, you could do worse than to follow it. However, I do take issue with him about STC. Andrew is NOT an STC fan; he's not alone, check the archives if you want to see all the debates.

STC is not for everyone; some chapters are better than others. I have the good fortune to live in an area with an active STC chapter composed of mostly great people. Joining and becoming active in my local STC chapter was/is the best career investment I've made. I've had a great support group, gotten jobs, made wonderful friends, had great technical support from them.

Before making a decision about STC one way or the other, check out your local chapter. You may find it a wonderful resource or a waste of time, that will be something you have to determine. But check it out!

Jo Byrd

"Caldwell, Shannon" wrote ...

My question is about education for Technical Writing. I am new to technical writing but not to the technology field....

To which Andrew Plato responded

1. You're not a newbie. If you've done network admin and software development, you're miles ahead of most "technical" writers.
2. You don't need on-line courses. Just get up to speed on some basic word processor and graphics tools. Frame, Word, RoboHelp, Photoshop - all good ones to learn. No need to be an expert, you can learn as you go. If necessary, buy older copies on Ebay or get the free demos so you can get the basics down. When people ask you if you used these tools - just say yes. They are easy to learn and master.
3. Apply for jobs. Focus on your technical skills. Sell yourself as a person with a strong technical background who likes to write. Demonstrate your ability to explain how complex systems function. You'll probably have to take something with lame pay and entry level to begin with. I'd suggest smaller companies where you can get a feel for the bulk of the job.
4. Ignore most of the STC stuff. Those people obsess on one-off work. Single-sourcing, style guides, all that stuff is of marginal consequence. Jam out some useful docs and worry about that stuff later. If you need a guide for how to format docs, just grab a copy of the MS Manual of Style and copy it.
5. This is EXACTLY where I came from and I had a very successful and lucrative tech writing career...and I never once took a course in tech writing and mostly ignored STC.





^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Order RoboHelp X3 today and receive a $100 mail in rebate and a FREE
WebHelp Merge Module for merging multiple Help systems on any desktop
or server. Order online today at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l

A new book on Single Sourcing has been released by William Andrew
Publishing: _Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation_
is now available at: http://www.williamandrew.com/titles/1491.html.

---
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.

Previous by Author: Re: PageMaker 6.5 Vs. FrameMaker
Next by Author: Re: Security followup
Previous by Thread: RE: Employment history low points
Next by Thread: Re: New to Technical Writing

[Top of Archive] | [Author Index (this month)] | [Thread Index (this month)]

What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:

Sponsored Ads