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.
Melissa,
If you're crazy, my employer is paying me for no reason. In my opinion, the
entire basis of technical writing is to communicate technical or abstract
information with the clarity and concreteness of everyday language. To do
so requires both sound style and technical understanding. Tony has
accurately represented a dichotomy that exists, but hopefully that
dichotomy does not represent the whole of technical writers. To me, the
key issue is not to decide which of Tony's two categories one belongs to,
but to gain the expertise of both. My English degree made me conscious of
style, but I am hardly worthwhile to my employer until I think like an
engineer. To relate to the original question, I think that opportunities
abound in technical writing, but the question is whether the writer is
willing to develop his or her "other" set of skills in order to take
advantage of the opportunities. Technical writing is not only being able
to write, but also understanding your own content. If you are unwilling to
do what it takes to gain that understanding, English scholar and engineer
alike, your success in technical writing is doubtful.
