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Subject:Re: How I Became a Tech. Writer From:Ann Mackenzie <TekDocWis -at- AOL -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 14 Aug 1998 12:02:36 EDT
Once upon a time, before computer science was offered at universities, before
micro-, or mini- computers were invented, when computers were as big as rooms
and only a few companies owned them, by fluke, I became a computer operator.
You see, I worked for an airline in Alaska (a long way from home), and I was
out of passes. So, when the teletype spit out a posting for "computer
operator" (what's a computer, anyway?) for which tests were being given in
Minneapolis, I jumped at the chance to take those tests, because I could visit
my family for a weekend on the free ticket. Then, back I went to Anchorage, to
salmon fishing and hiking and picnics where someone always carried a rifle,
because the milk cartons told us "Remember, all moose and bear are
dangerous!", and where the sun didn't really set in June, but just dipped down
over the horizon before popping up with a new day, and the bars closed at 8 am
only long enough to sweep the floors. Ah, heady days for young, adventurous
singles.
Some weeks later the teletype summoned me for training, and I became a
computer operator on the Univac Model 1 File Computer. Within a few years,
the airline went on strike and after a while I began to run out of money. So,
still being adventurous and single, I went to a headhunter who said "With your
background in English and computer operating experience, have you ever thought
of trying technical editing?" (What's a technical editor, anyway?) "I have
just the job for you." And she did.
From the first minor editing job to writing my latest mind-straining telephony
procedures manual, I have loved the opportunities to learn, to explore methods
and minds, then to turn around and teach what I've learned to those who need
the knowledge. I think of our profession as translating - we stand in the
shoes of the reader and know the questions they want to ask. We soak up
knowledge, we strain it for indigestible lumps, we organize it, we simplify
it, and we present it so our readers, in turn, are empowered with the
knowledge, and can go on to do their jobs better because of what we have
given.
I'd rather be a technical writer, right here and now, than anything else in
the whole world.
