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> If I told you that I don't even think in terms of data flows, would
> that make me less of a tech writer? :) Would you demand I take
> certification to prove my identity? :)
No, I probably just wouldn't hire you if I was looking for data flow experience.
> This is true. I was able to land this job because I've had a variety
> of different experiences--programming, web development, and freelance
> writing--that all came together in a good mix. I haven't found a
> particular "niche" or area of documentation that I prefer as of yet.
"Area of writing"?
> > I'm not advocating certification as a means of better jobs. The jobs
> > are what you choose to take and what you choose to do with them once
> > you take them. Certification in my mind means more standards and best
> > practices for how we go about our work, which may lead to being
> > favored as a candidate, but isn't a guarantee.
>
> There you go. If there are no guarantees, then why create standards if
> the end result can't be adequately proven? It's called
> "certification", not "possibilification", or "maybefication". :)
Certification isn't a guarantee.of landing a job. If it was, we'd have
a lot less unemployed IT folks out there.
> > Well, that's another topic altogether. But, I can honestly say that if
> > I was asked to stop writing for the rest of my life right now, I could
> > probably still find good-paying work that I enjoy doing, and probably
> > rather quickly at that.
> >
> > Nearly every skill that goes into writing can be applied to another
> > role. That is, if you don't focus on minutia or tools as your sole
> > expertise. ;-)
>
> Ah, but would you be passionate about it? Would you enjoy it? Would it
> give you a reason to get up in the morning beyond paying the bills? :)
Sure. And for the record, getting out of bed EVERY morning is difficult. ;-)
> That's what writing is to me. I can do a lot of other things--and some
> quite well--but writing is what I love.
Well, it looks like you've found your calling. Just make sure you
don't paint yourself into a corner though.
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