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:Re: How Times Have Not Changed From:Tracy Boyington <tracy_boyington -at- OKVOTECH -dot- ORG> Date:Tue, 17 Nov 1998 13:23:56 -0600
> This is due in part
> to the perception that records management is not
> a real "profession" (any clerk or secretary can
> do it) and it can be cut out with little or no
> loss to an organization.
If an entire profession can be cut out with little or no loss to an
organization, that profession *is* a dinosaur and certification cannot
save it.
> I have a real fear that technical writing could
> easily go down the same path. Sure, there are
> jobs out there now, but that was true of records
> management years ago. The inability of RM to
> present itself to employers as a relevant
> profession (emphasis on profession), capable of
> keeping up with change, finished it off.
If tech writers want to save themselves from this fate, they have to
become important to the bottom line. You have to sell yourself to
customers, not employers. When customers start clamoring for better
documentation, or paying more for well-written products, tech writers
will be valued.
