Re: How times have changed?

[Andy Dugas <adugas -at- NAVIS -dot- COM>]

As a new technical writer, I must respond to this thread.

While I agree that acting in concert would be good for the gander (and the
gander's average salary), many fine geese would be left out and excluded.
Including me! I came sideways into technical writing from marketing, which
I also entered sideways from translation.

And yet I possess the basic skill set, and am now developing quickly into
good TW. No certification program could have prepared me for this any more
than experience already had. IMO, certification courses exist more for
schools to capitalize on a hot profession than to create better qualified
TWs, although I won't deny that the preparation possible in a good program
can speed professional development.

I also agree with the post that talked about how TWs with a _sideways_
background bring a greater mental flexibility (thinking outside the box, as
it were) to their work, to the employers' greater benefit.

Also, consider:

- Software engineers, hardware engineers don't require special
certification. A general field of study and proven experience are
sufficient. And companies bank on these engineers.

- Certification does not a good writer make. Tough licensing hasn't
prevented a slew of bad lawyers and doctors from wreaking havoc in the
hospital or courtroom. Plenty of MBAs have put their companies in the
toilet via bad judgment. And weren't a bunch of Nobel laureates on the
board of that hedge fund that had to be rescued?

- Plenty of folks will be locked out of a profession, despite possessing
the real qualifications (as opposed to those who "passed" some test). And
some real losers will get certified (see above). This one's personal, since
I got my job by proving the core skills. And I'm turning out to be a damned
good TW. If I were locked out, I would be denied an opportunity to earn a
living using my best skills, and my absence would not reduce the amount of
bad documentation (shudder) by a single word.

- Lastly, if you want respect, start respecting others. Plenty of posts on
this list denigrate marketing types, managers, consultants, recruiters, and
even engineers. Hello!

Ultimately, I find myself attracted to the UK model described by D.
Braniff, in which you are recognized in accord with what you have already
proven and done. In that system, someone like me would have a chance to
enter the profession and move up.

And that IS a sure way to reduce the amount of bad documentation in the world.

Andy Dugas
Navis Corp.


 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=