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I am the only techwriter doing end-user docs, and the company wants
someone to document code. I'm supposed to interview the applicants, but
they've asked me whether I'd consider doing it.
I'm in a similar environment where everyone around me speaks UNIX, Perl, C, etc. I guess the first question that comes to mind is: Since you are already doing something, would the addition of this job function impact everything else you are doing. I don't know what your workload is, but do you have the time to take on the job and do the one you are doing now.
It appears that your company believes that there is enough to bring someone on and companies don't usually do that for only an incremental increase in workload.
Another question that comes to mind. I know that my programmers are writing code "that you never learned in school". Much of this is based on many many hours of heads-down coding. To be able to document this type of code, it takes more than "book learning"...it takes knowing "why" such-and-such code is used, so it takes more than "learning VB and a little Basic and Fortran".
My recommendation would be to bring someone in but lobby that they fit under you in the org chart by making the person report to you.
John Posada, Technical Writer (and proud of the title)
The world's premier Internet fax service company: The FaxSav Global Network
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My opinions are mine, and neither you nor my company can take credit for them.
HEY! Are you coming to the NJ TechWriter lunch? So far, about 10
of us are. Ask me about it.
