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.
Subject:Right profession for the future? From:"Tony G. Rocco" <trocco -at- NAVIS -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 18 Dec 1996 15:42:46 -0800
Some people have another perspective on what technical writers do. An
anonymous tech writer's opinion follows.
From personal experience, I'd say:
>>>
WHAT THEY DO: Read minds. Pull rabbits out of hats. Extrapolate,
>interpolate, deduce, and invent information. Make up stories and pictures
>about esoteric devices and systems, sometimes basing inventions on other,
>more tangible, esoteric devices or systems.
WHERE THEY DO IT: Although many technical writers work for computer firms
>or manufacturers (of which, although a few offer flexible or part-time
>schedules, most want employees on site where they can check up on them to
>see if they're keyboarding steadily from 8 to 5) somewhere between 3% and 10%
>work on a freelance basis (where they can set their own hours, which will
>usually includes weekends, evenings, and holidays, as these people are
>normally employed only in times of crisis).
TRAINING: No one can really say what kind of education or training a
>technical writer should have. No matter what credentials or coursework you
>offer, every employer will want expertise in a different software product,
>as well as many years of experience as an engineer or programmer and the
>ability to read and possibly write at least one computer language. In
>addition to technical experience, you'll need a high tolerance for ambiguity
>and an ability to conceal the absence of concrete information and present
>the same data in many guises. You will rarely be called upon to express
>ideas at all, never mind expressing them clearly and accurately. Computer
>literacy is essential. Language literacy is negotiable.
SALARY: DOE and stature of employer
>>>
CAREER OUTLOOK: Promising, primarily because new technology is coming out
>every day, and many companies are outsourcing this kind of work. (Why does
>outsourcing make this a promising field?)
