RE: Career paths for technical writers

["Dan Glovier" <dglovier -at- edline -dot- com>]

> 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.

Find an area that you are interested in that could use some help. Either
do the work yourself (if no one is currently doing it), or assist
someone with it. You'll be shocked at how much they'll let you do once
you show the initiative as well as results. It's a ton of work, but if
you're motivated, and IF you have a solid management team that promotes
this sort of thing, you'll be golden.

I worked for a small company, and we had limited resources. This led to
vacuums in certain areas, and folks with initiative were allowed to
expand into these roles. I'm not sure how well this process will work in
a larger atmosphere, but all I can do is share my experiences. 

> 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.

In my case, I started with chipping in with the marketing materials and
doing some graphic work for them. I then started to maintain our email
list (go elm!), as well as doing PC support (great programmers; no clue
about PCs). I did some training on both PC issues as well as how to use
e-mail and the web. 

Fast forward 10 years, and by the time I left my previous job I was
involved and/or running the technical communications group, I continued
to do training, I helped out with (and at times, ran) marketing
projects, I did much of the graphical load early on (and we hired "real"
graphic folks at my prodding), I led the UI group, and I was involved in
all software release groups. Heck, I was even the post master for a
while, as well as internal PC support guy. 

Because of this background, I am now with a growing company (okay,
everyone can get off the floor ... yes, we are actually ever so slowly
expanding), and my job is to run the docs, training, QA, support, and
implementation groups. I am also putting together a new release process
for our software. 

YMMV, but I've talked with several others who have taken similar paths,
and they have even transitioned completely out of tech writing because
of what you're suggesting, Karen. 

Find 

Good luck,
Dan Glovier

P.S. Remember, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission,
sometimes. YMMV, but this little saying has helped me move forward loads
of times. 



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