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:Career Question From:"George F. Hayhoe" <george -at- GHAYHOE -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 10 Feb 1999 08:11:15 -0500
Anonymous wrote:
"My question is: do you think that if I work as a senior
writer for a
while, it will hurt me when I go job-hunting again and try
to find a
manager position?"
In many technology-based companies, technical positions are
not considered inferior to management positions. Instead,
there are two parallel tracks that people can move back and
forth between during the course of their careers. I've
known quite a few people who served a stint in management
and then chose to move to a technical position because they
didn't feel that management was a good fit for them, because
they preferred the challenge of the technical role, or
because they didn't want their technical skills to become
stale.
It's a shame that all too often, the career ladder for
technical communicators with a few years of experience is
limited to management when they could make significant
contributions as writers, editors, illustrators, designers,
etc.