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Re: Non-technical, Technical Writes - Vent on the Flip Side
Subject:Re: Non-technical, Technical Writes - Vent on the Flip Side From:"M. Hunter-Kilmer" <mhunterk -at- BNA -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 13 May 1998 16:34:48 -0500
Carol Anne Wall <mmpc0014 -at- PCLINK -dot- COM> wrote:
> I can write online help, procedure manuals, technical documentation,
> etc. People rave about my work; it's detailed, accurate, and
> on-time! I even have great rapport with programmers!!! (hee-hee!)
> But I can't break into "real" technical writing field because:
> 1) I'm lacking a degree in English or Technical Communication, and
> 2) I've never had the title "Technical Writer"
<snip some really good stuff>
I'm on digest and rather behind even that, so I hope this hasn't been
suggested already.
When faced with this kind of situation myself, I always had to change
companies. A company that had hired me as a secretary couldn't make
the mental transition to thinking of me as an editor or writer even
though I had been performing editing and writing duties about 80% of
every working day.
I hope your experience shows otherwise, Carol; I hope that department
hires you and tells HR to go jump. But I haven't seen it happen
often.
Melissa Hunter-Kilmer
mhunterk -at- bna -dot- com
(standard disclaimer)