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.
About the time Eric and Deb started Techwhirl, I was setting my sights on
a mechanical engineering degree. After receiving my Associates degree from
Iowa Lakes Community College, I transferred to Mankato State University in
Minnesota, where I heard about a career called "technical writing." I knew
I had found my calling.
By that time, I was one class away from a physics minor, so I took an
engineering statics class to complete that. I had also taken _a single_
AutoCAD class. "Single" is emphasized because at the time, I had no idea
how much that class would impact my job search and future day-to-day work.
I have had three jobs in my 8-year tech writing career, and in every case,
it was the physics, engineering, and CAD background that got me in the
door. I use AutoCAD almost daily.
Oh, and by the way, you can probably tell by the AutoCAD comments that I
am in the minority of tech writers. In my current position, I do not write
about software. I do not currently develop online help. I write about
mechanical equipment. However, I did edit a software book a couple of
years ago. Rick Quatro's "FrameScript: A Crash Course" bears my name, as
editor, on the cover.
Next month marks six years that I have been in my current position. The
first year, I spent most of my time updating manuals that other people had
written. Over time, I have had the opportunity to write more and more
original material. I'm now to the point that everything I work on is
either new or an edit of something I wrote. Writing original material is
infinitely more interesting to me than updating someone else's work! It's
so enjoyable going to work every day! (Well, OK, maybe not every day, but
the majority of them, and we're all allowed to have our moments, right?)
I'm just as excited about starting my work with Techwhirl! I have many
plans--bringing back the weekly poll and making sure visitors to the
techwr-l site see new content on a regular basis are at the top of the
list. And keep watching for even more in the coming months!
Lisa Bronson
lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com
www.techwr-l.com
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