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I know that it's list policy to respond off-list to people, but I think that
John's comment was treated quite publicly on the list, so I wanted to post
my response directly to the list (and John, of course). If any of you don't
want to read this, hit delete....
> Why?
>
> OK, let me expand on this...what skills do you have that makes you believe
> that you'd be a good technical writer and that it's something you want to
do
> for big chunk of your professional life?
>From what I've heard about technical writing, it's one of the most
unrecognized professions within the technology sector, yet it's the thing
people will criticize first. Most programmers hate doing it and those that
do hate it do a shoddy job of it. Technical writers have to deal with
impossible deadlines and incomplete information all the time. Feel free to
correct me if I'm wrong.
Why am I interested? It's the thrill of the chase, really. I'd like to
hunt down programmers and make them give me all their secrets. :)
I've had experience in writing at school doing my minor in English. I've
done some technical documentation and I'd like to get my hands dirty with
more because I enjoyed doing it when I did do it. From what I've heard from
technical writers I've spoken to, it takes knowledge of the big picture,
which I like having. I like knowing how things fit together. I like to
explain things to people, and I like putting things into words that someone
non-technically minded can understand. I'm a good communicator and
organizer and I like dealing with people (insert Office Space quote here).
I'm interested in new technology and learning about that. I'm interested in
teaching people new things, but only when people actually want to learn
them. And once people are getting to the RTFM stage, I'm pretty sure they'd
want to learn.
But, at the same time, I'm curious to hear more about what it's all about
and what kinds of things people go through to get to where they are today.
What's a typical day like as a technical writer? Why do people want to be
technical writers anyways (aside from my comments above)? I've heard people
say they've just fallen into it or chosen it because of the job security.
Do you really have to have a thick skin? Is there some mythical company out
there who actually values technical writers, because I've noticed from the
postings that it's not exactly noticed. What's the industry like today?
What are the entry-level prospects? And so on and so forth. So that's why
I've joined the TechWR-L list, and that's why I sent out the introduction.
I hope that helps,
-Sera Hill
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