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've been thinking lately about different career paths for technical writers
other than simply straight vertical movement (jr. writer, sr. writer,
project lead, documentation manager, etc.). I'm interested in how someone
who has done well in technical writing might advance their career both
vertically and horizontally (if that makes any sense!) - moving not just to
management of a documentation department, but getting involved in other
areas besides straight technical writing.
For example, I've been working for the same company for almost three years.
I like the company, and plan on staying here for a while (barring the
dreaded "L" word). We aren't a huge company - there isn't going to be a lot
of room for straight vertical advancement anytime in the near future (how
many managers does a department of 2 people really need?). Besides, that
isn't really what interests me right now (I prefer doing the work to
managing the people doing it). One of the benefits of working for this
company is that I've been able to get involved in some things outside of
straight tech writing - the most exciting to me is UI design. I've also
become a SME on our product - not in the same way that the developers are
(although I'm learning to read code), but in a way that is just as valuable.
It takes work and time to gain this level of knowledge about a product, and
I'd like to leverage it and build on it. I think so often employees (not
just tech writers) jump from job to job simply because they get bored doing
the same things over and over again. I've realized that you can't just sit
at your desk and hope something new and exciting falls in your lap - you
have to first prove that you can take on more responsibility, and then go
out and find the opportunities.
I'd like to hear about the different types of work list members do beyond
the traditional manuals/help files/etc, especially from those who have been
with the same company for a while. How did you get involved in these
different types of work, and how did your technical writing experience help
you with these projects? I work in software, but would be interested in
hearing from list members in other industries as well.
I suppose some people will say I want to have my cake and eat it too - I
want to continue to do new things, while staying with the same company. But
I don't necessarily think these two goals are mutually exclusive. It just
takes the right person and the right company.
(I realize we've talked about this kind of thing occasionally, but it's
almost always been a side discussion to some other thread. I'd like to focus
specifically on this topic.)
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