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Subject:RE: Programmer/Writer? From:Mpschiesl -at- ra -dot- rockwell -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 1 Oct 1999 10:06:20 -0500
David Castro wrote:
> However, saying that your way is the Only Way to become a Good Writer
> paints with a very broad brush. Earlier today, I posted that >I'd *like*
to
> find one of those writer/programmer jobs, because I have different joys:
I
> love writing, and I love programming (I wrote >an application--Digester's
> Reader--especially for members of this mailing list, in fact). Yes, they
> require distinctly different skill sets, >but they're not mutually
> exclusive, by any stretch of the imagination.
Kevin Feeman responded:
> You are absolutely right. I guess I did generalize quite a bit. I just
> firmly believe that one needs to focus on the audience. If your audience
is
> programmers, then you should know some programming. I just don't think
that
> a writer can do both. I was making assumptions that wanting to be a
> programmer/writer meant one needed to be a programmer to be a writer,
which
> is untrue, IMHO. I was thinking on the lines that the jobs you were
> referring to required the writer to write programs and write user
manuals,
> which even though they do relate to a high degree, each job is a job on
its
> own. That is why there are strictly *writer* jobs and strictly *software
> programmer* jobs in the paper every week.
Michael Schiesl states:
Kevin, I think I understand what you are saying here (whether you meant to
say it this way or not). Being a fellow 'developer' can cause you to start
thinking about bits and bytes rather than focusing on the user's needs
(i.e.
getting max productivity out of the product). This is worth noting.
However, I also think that being involved with the development can have
a lot of benefits too. I wouldn't mind having better access to the
product,
time with developers, access to more engineering files, and so on.
Unfortunately, most people put a higher priority on product development
than tech doc, but this could be a better way of getting involved.
Actually, five minutes before I read your posting, someone called my house
about a writing/programming job, so its pretty good to see the +/- of this
topic,
and I'm starting to think it could be a +. ...?
Thanks all,
Michael Schiesl
Rockwell Automation Product Documentation
