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TechWriting w/o Journalism
My path to tech writing was different than those mentioned in previous
messages and may be of interest to some. With only a BS in Physics I couldn't
really do physics; you need an MS or PhD. I couldn't afford grad school so I
used my knack for clear concise writing and my technical background to land a
job as a technical writer. I find my technical background to be very
important in gaining respect from the design engineers with whom I work. My
technical background also saved me time in researching the technical topics;
time which I then spent on learning proper writing techniques, grammar, word
choice, document layout techniques, etc. since I had no formal training in
those areas other than freshman college composition courses. (As defense
spending decreases and layoffs at my company increase, I will soon have to
once again defend my nonjournalistic background to prospective employers,
this time with the help of years of technical writing experience.)
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Mark Kitzmiller, Sr. Tech Writer, Alliant Techsystems Inc., Annapolis, MD
