Re: How to I get into this field?

["Janet Swisher" <jmswisher -at- gmail -dot- com>]

On Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 6:10 AM, Michael West <mbwest -at- bigpond -dot- com> wrote:
>> I have a BA in English and would like to get into technical writing but
> need to know
>> what steps I should take.? What is required?
>
> The entry-level position is usually the hardest one to get. Don't expect it
> to just fall into your lap. Do some technical writing projects on your own
> to show a prospective employer that you have the interest, the skills, and a
> mastery of the tools. The subject matter isn't terribly important; your
> attention to detail and your ability to clarify the complex are what matter.

One way to "do some technical writing projects on your own" is to get
involved in documenting open source software. Pick an open source
product that you use or find interesting, and create or improve the
documentation for it. I've written more about this topic here:
http://www.janetswisher.com/?itemid=166



-- 
Visit my blog at: http://www.janetswisher.com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ComponentOne Doc-To-Help gives you everything you need to author and 
publish quality Help, Web, and print content. Perfect for technical 
authors, developers, and policy writers. Download a FREE trial.
http://www.componentone.com/DocToHelp/

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info. 

Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat