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Subject:Re: What makes a good tech writer From:Joe Schrengohst <jschreng -at- CISCO -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 28 Apr 1999 10:42:49 -0700
At 05:03 AM 4/28/1999 -0700, you wrote:
>Apparently, from what I've seen on this list recently, a desire to be a
>technical writer makes a technical writer. No one seems to mind if
>he/she has proper training, education, etc. If the junior high school
>English teacher gave you a B, that's good enough!! How many threads
>have been the intellectual equivalent of "I used to specialize in flame
>broiling down at the BK, but I really want to be a tech writer. How
>should I market myself?" It is perhaps the desire to be tech writers
>by people who are clearly unprepared that makes the job environment
>difficult for those of us who are. But, hey, anyone can write, right?
********************************************************************************
I'm sure I've been "writing tech" since before Shannon was born, but
I have no idea what the "proper training, education, etc." is for this
profession since it covers virtually every type of endeavor known to
man (and/or woman).
The problem with the technical writing field is that, in recent decades, it's
been inundated with people who have no "desire to be a technical writer,"
but they can't make a decent living with their English and/or Journalism
degrees and they probably couldn/t handle "flame broiling down at the BK,"
so they decided to become technical writers as a last resort.
I would much prefer to have one person who really has the "desire to be
a technical writer," regardless of their background (I flunked Sr. English),
than a dozen who think they are eminently prepared by virtue of their
"proper training, education, etc." Give me someone who has the desire,
and I guarantee they'll make "the job environment difficult for those of
[you] who are .... properly trained, educated, etc."
Joe Schrengohst
Contract Technical Writer
Cisco Systems
Network-to-Users BU
170 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
E-Mail: jschreng -at- cisco -dot- com
Cisco Phone: (408) 527-9844
Cisco Fax: (408) 527-1488
Home Phone: (775) 782-4129
Home Fax: (775) 782-5585
