Drudgery? Reworking the same paragraph? That's not tech writing. That's just stoopidity.
I've been a tech writer for a long time. I've seen a lot of companies come and go, and I've worked on a huge spectrum of projects. The ones that are worth doing are the ones where you're solving problems. THAT is the direction technical writing is headed in. Otherwise, you'd might as well change your title to Technical Secretary, as that's the pay scale you'll be looking at.
It's all about adding value, not only about getting a job done.
You've heard and will hear lots of MYTHS. Like "managers don't respect them" and "they get paid crap wages" and "developers look down on them".
It's all crap.
A GOOD EMPLOYEE will get respect and fair pay.
So, what does it take to be a good Tech writer?
You need technical knowledge. You don't need to be a SME, but you do need to know your shtuff. You also need to know how to communicate concepts. But most importantly, you need to be proactive and solutions oriented.
Tech writing is no longer about only writing technical documentation. Many good tech writers these days are quite nimble around XML, VS.Net/C#, Java, and such. Why? That's where the profession is going. Sure, the focus is on communicAtion and usability, but the tools no longer resemble a typewriter.
So, MY ADVICE is to first determine what you like to do. Do you like heads-down programming or heads-up programming? If the former, choose development. If the latter, choose tech writing. A MS in either CS or TW will work well for tech writing. But, if you go for a MS in CS, get a certificate in TW while you're at it. Even if you decide that programming is your thang, you can still use your TW knowledge to effectively communicate to others what you are doing and where you want to be with it.
- Goober
(cuz life is too short to be inept)
Slashdot Mirror
You have a site? No, I was talking about that "I'm a published tech writer" dood's site.
Dood, you're off-base. You're talking about bonehead managers and useles technical secretaries.
Drudgery? Reworking the same paragraph? That's not tech writing. That's just stoopidity. I've been a tech writer for a long time. I've seen a lot of companies come and go, and I've worked on a huge spectrum of projects. The ones that are worth doing are the ones where you're solving problems. THAT is the direction technical writing is headed in. Otherwise, you'd might as well change your title to Technical Secretary, as that's the pay scale you'll be looking at. It's all about adding value, not only about getting a job done.
Oh my GAWD that is such a crappy site! Embarrasment indeed!
You've heard and will hear lots of MYTHS. Like "managers don't respect them" and "they get paid crap wages" and "developers look down on them". It's all crap. A GOOD EMPLOYEE will get respect and fair pay. So, what does it take to be a good Tech writer? You need technical knowledge. You don't need to be a SME, but you do need to know your shtuff. You also need to know how to communicate concepts. But most importantly, you need to be proactive and solutions oriented. Tech writing is no longer about only writing technical documentation. Many good tech writers these days are quite nimble around XML, VS.Net/C#, Java, and such. Why? That's where the profession is going. Sure, the focus is on communicAtion and usability, but the tools no longer resemble a typewriter. So, MY ADVICE is to first determine what you like to do. Do you like heads-down programming or heads-up programming? If the former, choose development. If the latter, choose tech writing. A MS in either CS or TW will work well for tech writing. But, if you go for a MS in CS, get a certificate in TW while you're at it. Even if you decide that programming is your thang, you can still use your TW knowledge to effectively communicate to others what you are doing and where you want to be with it. - Goober (cuz life is too short to be inept)