Re: breaking out in technical communications

[Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

> While I think there is something to this, I'm not sure I can agree
completely. 
> None of these things would have helped me edit abstracts of presentations
> from a nursing convention (my first job) or edit aircraft maintenance manuals
> in preparation for an FAA audit (my second job) or write about applications
> in the trucking industry (my fifth job). 

All of the things I mentioned would have helped you, because all of those areas
involve understanding and working with complex systems and processes. Something
this is universally useful.

Technical writing DEMANDS that the writer is comfortable working with complex
information. While the topic might be different from industry to industry, the
issue is still the same. The ability to handle complex technology is critical.
Computer systems, languages, and databases are complex and sometimes abstract
things. If you can handle how relational theories work, a lot of other business
and technical issues begin to make sense. A good writer has a technically
trained mind in addition to good communication skills. A lacking on either side
is a lacking as a whole.

Andrew Plato 

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