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I don't think *anyone* can be a technical writer, but probably more
people *can* be technical writers than want to be or even will be. I
also think a lot of people get into technical writing and then get out
rather quickly because either it wasn't what they thought it would be
or they found something they'd rather be.
I remember interviewing one honest guy who had been a field service
representative for a number of years. When I asked him something about
where he saw himself in five years, he answered that he planned to use
the job as a way to get into the plant and see if he couldn't find
something more to his liking. He wasn't being negative about technical
writing. His agenda was to get out of field service work and the travel
that came with it. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't interested in a
temporary body in the job.
My point is that there are people who write and then there are writers.
Lots of people can write, and they can turn out passable documentation.
And there are lots of places where writers are a recognized necessity
but not considered an indispensable resource. Some individuals in a
writing job can make themselves into indispensable resources in some
organizations.
I wouldn't let one person's opinion or even one organization's
collective opinion affect my attitude toward what I do. Contrary to
what some might think, I'm not incompetent, and I get along quite well
in an organization that doesn't particularly value technical writers.
They do, however, seem to value what I and my fellow writer do, and
that's enough.
=====
Tom Murrell
"...incompetent, arrogant, semi-simian..." but with aspirations of becoming fully simian in the future. mailto:trmurrell -at- yahoo -dot- com http://home.columbus.rr.com/murrell/index.html Last Updated 05/26/2003
--Don't argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference. (Anonymous)--
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