Re: A technique to get on development's good side

[lynchdl -at- comcast -dot- net]

I would have to agree with that. I volunteered for an STC chapter as the keeper of a job book and the job line (before web pages became prevelant). IDuring my tenure, I was astounded at the calls I would get from people about landing technical writing jobs. 90% of the people didn't even have any technical writing courses under their belt, let alone any industry experience. At the time, I had a BS in TC with three years into my profession. The final straw came from a person who was about to be layed off from his job in a few days and decided that he wanted to be a technical writer "because he loves to write and he knows he is good at it." Of course, he was also expecting the kind of salary that I was making right off the bat. 

I know some people on this list will say that they have never had any problems working with SMEs, always being included, yada, yada, yada. I have not had any issues with that myself but I do see this is an issue, especially right now when English majors are looking around, not finding work, and undercutting the person who did get the degree for the technical writing positions out there. These people start to flounder, the hiring people get upset, and voila, you get the attitudes from people that technical writers are not very smart, not any better than glorified secretaries, etc. This is not to say that  there are no English majors who could pull this off; usually those people have some technical background to begin with. It is just that is one of the recurring reasons why this issue of having to prove yourself each time you go into a new situation keeps coming up.

As always, IMHO

Diana




> 
> 
> Because anyone can claim to be a technical writer and most times,
> where they think they are getting a technical writer, they are
> instead getting someone who claims to be a technical writer because
> they've created a User Guide sometime in the past.
> 
> If you are a programmer, you can be asked specific technical
> questions that demonstate your skill. When you say you know VB.net,
> C#, C++, java. etc., you can be quizzed. OTOH, what is there to prove
> you can write? Somehow the answer "I know English" doesn't cut it.
> THAT'S why I point toward certification. It is a specific series of skills.
> 
> John Posada
> Senior Technical Writer
> 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

New from Quadralay Corporation: WebWorks ePublisher Pro!
Completely XML-based online publishing. Easily create 14 online formats, including 6 Help systems, in a streamlined project-based workflow. Word version ships in June, FrameMaker version ships in July. Sign up for a live, online demo! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.