2013년 11월 29일 금요일

About 'university technical'|In the news: academies, free schools and university technical colleges







About 'university technical'|In the news: academies, free schools and university technical colleges








Considering               a               Career               as               a               Technical               Writer?

I've               been               a               tech               writer               for               more               than               ten               years               now.

While               I've               had               my               moments               of               challenge               on               occasion,               I               must               say               overall               I've               been               pretty               happy               with               this               as               a               career.
               As               for               what               a               technical               writer               actually               does,               one               may               conjure               up               any               number               of               mental               images.

Indeed,               while               some               tech               writers               are               perhaps               one               notch               away               from               the               geeky               engineer               type,               the               majority               of               them               are               actually               quite               something               else.

I've               known               tech               writers               who               were               musicians,               marines,               and               marmalade               makers.

Technical               writers               come               in               all               shapes               and               sizes.

Not               surprisingly               they               like               to               write               about               non-technical               stuff,               too.
               What               Is               a               Tech               Writer?
               Just               as               there               are               many               different               kinds               of               business               in               the               world,               there               is               conceivably               just               as               much               need               for               writers               who               can               clearly               and               accurately               develop               technical               content               to               fit.

Whether               it's               user               manuals,               job               aids,               or               policies               and               procedures,               the               need               for               technical               writing               is               present               in               some               form               in               every               kind               of               business.
               In               comparison               to               more               specialized               jobs,               the               breadth               and               depth               of               opportunity               for               employment               as               a               technical               writer               is               actually               relatively               good.
               Where               You               Can               Get               a               Job               as               a               Technical               Writer
               I've               worked               the               gamut               of               jobs               ranging               from               construction               laborer,               busboy,               to               aircraft               mechanic,               and               as               an               industrial               consultant.

By               a               fluke               I               even               landed               a               job               for               several               years               in               China               as               a               Country               Regional               Manager               on               behalf               of               Danish               trade               company.
               So,               I               feel               rather               fortunate               that               I               have               this               "colorful               employment               background"               on               which               to               lean.

Diverse               know-how               comes               in               handy               not               only               as               good               life               experience,               but               from               a               practical               business               perspective.

With               that               in               mind,               having               broad               business               savvy               lends               significantly               to               being               a               successful               technical               writer.

Diversity               also               translates               to               your               ability               to               work               in               many               different               industries               as               a               technical               writer.
               Your               Experience               Does               Matter
               Think               you're               at               a               dead-end               with               your               current               job?

Cannot               find               a               conventional               job?
               Think               about               technical               writing.
               No               matter               your               background,               the               experience               you               have               amassed               can               help               you               in               a               career               as               a               technical               writer               in               any               sector.

Tech               writers               work               for               factories,               software               companies,               banks,               and               educational               providers.

Depending               on               which               industries               you               have               worked               previously,               you               can               just               as               easily               work               in               those               industries               again               −               but               now               wearing               a               new               hat               as               a               technical               writer.

Assuming               you               can               put               words               to               paper               (or               onto               a               computer               screen),               you               will               be               taking               on               a               job               requiring               skills               that               many               others               find               daunting.
               Aside               from               industry               experience,               having               a               knack               for               transforming               abstract               or               chaotic               ideas               into               clear               structured               writing               is               the               other               strong               qualification               you               need.
               How               I               Got               Started
               I               got               my               start               as               a               technical               writer               somewhat               by               accident.
               I               got               a               degree               in               Chinese               language               and               literature,               and               afterwards               worked               many               different               jobs               having               nothing               to               do               with               technical               writing.

After               living               overseas               for               several               years,               I               returned               home               and               began               to               look               for               work               in               earnest.

After               having               no               success               in               finding               a               job               in               industries               for               which               I               had               worked               previously,               I               registered               myself               with               several               work               agencies               to               let               fate               run               its               course.
               After               some               time               I               landed               an               opportunity               as               a               "document               formatter"               for               a               small               technology               company.
               You               Can               Ease               Into               It
               The               job               was               easy               enough.

I               sat               at               a               computer               and               received               documents               written               by               other               people.

My               job               was               to               format               their               words               into               pretty               templates.

The               company               then               published               these               documents               as               supportive               material               for               the               products               they               sold.
               However,               as               time               went               on,               my               job               began               to               transform.
               In               reading               the               documents               given               to               me,               I               found               they               were               riddled               with               mistakes.

These               errors               ranged               anywhere               from               simple               misspellings,               to               grammar               gaffs,               all               the               way               to               gross               violations               of               logic               that               could               baffle               the               sharpest               minds.

I               pointed               these               errors               out               to               my               boss               and               provided               suggestions               for               their               correction.
               After               several               days               with               my               boss               monitoring               me,               I               no               longer               was               a               Document               Formatter.

My               new               job               title               was               Technical               Editor.
               As               a               technical               editor,               I               tweaked               other               people's               content               to               perfection.

While               doing               this,               I               actually               read               the               documents               I               edited               and               became               knowledgeable               in               the               subject               matter               they               covered.

Having               pointed               this               out               to               my               boss,               he               allowed               me               to               have               a               shot               at               writing               fresh               content.

This               went               well.
               Having               successfully               creating               several               technical               pieces               from               scratch,               my               new               job               title               changed               to               Technical               Writer.
               Create               a               Technical               Writing               Job               -               Through               Stealth
               What               my               story               demonstrates               is               that               technical               writing               is               a               career               that               one               can               ease               into.
               If               you               are               currently               working               a               job               that               has               nothing               to               do               with               technical               writing,               you               may               be               able               to               contrive               a               pathway               that               can               lead               up               to               it.

This               is               where               your               diverse               experience               (remember               this               from               above?)               as               a               well-rounded               businessman               comes               into               play.
               If               the               current               documentation               for               the               products               with               which               you               are               working               need               updating,               offer               to               go               over               them               with               your               boss               or               supervisor.

Assuming               you               can               easily               provide               solid               written               content,               your               boss               might               be               willing               to               shift               your               role               somewhat.

He               may               have               you               do               some               work               on               other               documents               that               need               some               help.

Later               on               perhaps               you               can               begin               writing               up               new               docs               from               scratch.

Eventually               everyone's               perception               of               your               role               will               grow               and               change,               and               thus               your               job               title               will               change,               too.
               This               is               a               form               of               polite               −               yet               stealthy               -               job               creation.

Give               it               a               try.
               Basic               Skills               as               a               Technical               Writer
               While               the               story               painted               above               provides               one               possible               start-up               scenario               as               a               technical               writer,               there               are               many               other               routes               you               can               take.

Regardless               of               your               background,               there               are               a               few               skills               which               can               help               round               out               you               profile               for               a               new               career               in               technical               writing.
               Writing               −               While               you               may               have               some               background               as               a               poet,               prose               writer,               or               some               other               creative               writer,               this               doesn't               necessarily               make               you               fit               the               bill               as               a               technical               writer.

While               creative               writing               is               indeed               creative,               technical               writing               frequently               is               succinct,               brief,               and               sometimes               outright               unglamorous.

Fortunately               there               are               many               challenges               associated               with               tech               writing               that               do               require               ample               creativity.

Like               how               to               organize               a               project,               or               doing               research               covering               the               topic               about               which               you               will               write.

While               there               is               some               argument               as               to               what               exactly               qualifies               as               technical               writing,               I               suggest               you               take               some               classes,               ask               for               advice               from               seasoned               technical               writers,               and               read               up               on               how               to               produce               technical               content.
               Editing               −               While               this               may               come               as               a               surprise               to               some,               there               are               many               technical               writing               jobs               out               there               which               don't               involve               technical               writing               at               all.

The               work               is               only               a               title.

In               this               case               companies               frequently               hire               someone               to               edit               existing               content               or               update               old               content.

This               isn't               technical               writing               -               rather,               it's               called               technical               editing.

Whether               you're               hired               for               this               kind               of               position,               having               superior               editing               skills               is               a               definite               must-have               in               your               arsenal.

Again,               take               some               classes,               consult               with               others,               and               bone               up               on               your               role               as               an               editor.

The               work               you               do               here               can               easily               make               the               difference               between               getting               or               losing               out               on               a               job.

               Logic               −               While               the               value               of               logical               writing               is               debatable               also,               the               basic               idea               here               is               to               develop               your               skills               as               an               organizer.

This               translates               to               your               ability               to               gather               disparate               information               and               render               it               into               succinct               and               orderly               tech               prose.

For               example,               on               some               writing               projects               your               colleagues               will               give               you               a               hodgepodge               of               old,               new,               relevant,               and               completely               off-the-wall               documents.

They               will               ask               you               to               sort               through               them,               assemble               the               relevant               information               they               need,               and               then               re-craft               this               information               into               something               useful.

Perhaps               they               will               ask               you               to               do               a               little               research               on               the               side               −               especially               for               those               updates               to               older               content.

All               these               activities               require               you               to               be               able               to               think,               organize,               and               produce               clearly               written               content               in               a               logical               fashion.
               Technology               −Let's               not               forget               the               word               "technical"               in               your               new               job               title.

While               the               technology               about               which               you               write               may               cover               things               like               computers               and               software,               keep               in               mind               there               are               other               forms               of               technology.

For               example,               you               might               work               for               a               company               that               machines               car               parts,               or               manufactures               washing               machines.

While               you               may               think               it's               an               unimpressive               hunk               of               machinery,               a               washing               machine               is               a               form               of               technology.

No               matter               whether               you               create               content               that               covers               the               most               base               technology               −               or               the               most               bleeding               edge               −               you're               still               working               with               technical               content.

Therefore               you're               a               technical               writer.
               Computers               and               Software               −Surprisingly               in               some               of               my               past               jobs,               I've               seen               technical               writing               deliverables               handed               over               in               handwritten               form.

Not               surprisingly               I've               also               seen               some               content               done               up               using               a               typewriter.

While               this               kind               of               thing               becomes               rarer               as               time               goes               on,               it               goes               without               saying               you               should               have               some               solid               computer               skills.

Aside               from               knowing               how               to               navigate               a               computer               operating               system,               make               certain               to               study               up               on               common               authoring               software.

These               could               include               Microsoft               Word,               Adobe               FrameMaker,               RoboHelp,               and               Dreamweaver.

While               the               software               list               can               go               on,               the               chances               of               you               needing               to               know               everything               out               there               is               unlikely.
               People               Skills               −               Again               this               is               where               it's               helpful               to               have               some               solid               business               background.

While               being               able               to               work               with               people               is               a               great               skill               for               any               job,               it               is               especially               essential               for               technical               writers.

In               a               typical               corporate               setting               you               may               be               working               with               (heaven               forbid!)               engineers.

Engineers               are               human               life               forms               sometimes               exhibiting               marginal               social               skills.

It               really               helps               to               have               good               communication               skills,               a               disarming               and               affable               personality,               and               loads               of               patience.

Aside               from               this,               make               sure               you               keep               some               extra               lunch               money               in               your               pocket.

You               may               need               to               bribe               some               of               these               engineers               with               food               as               a               way               to               pry               information               from               them               so               you               can               finish               writing               your               project.
               No               Work               Experience?
               Up               to               this               point               everything               I've               discussed               assumes               that               you               have               previous               work               experience.

But               what               if               you               don't               have               any?

How               to               get               started               then?
               Formal               Education
               Perhaps               the               easiest               answer               to               lack               of               experience               is               to               get               formalized               training               as               a               technical               writer.

Training               can               range               anywhere               from               intensive               one-day               workshops,               to               certification               on               a               specialized               subject,               and               to               the               broader               education               you               can               get               from               a               college               or               university               offering               a               degree               in               technical               writing.
               Aside               from               education,               there's               really               nothing               better               that               further               qualifies               you               for               the               job               than               experience               itself.
               "Create"               Your               Job
               How               to               get               experience?

Perhaps               you               can               start               off               by               getting               a               job               not               as               a               technical               writer,               but               in               a               position               where               you               can               learn               up               on               the               product               or               service               you're               paid               to               develop               or               sell.

Over               time               you               can               offer               to               create               some               content               that               will               support               your               work.

As               it               is               with               the               hypothetical               scenario               painted               previously,               your               role               in               the               company               may               eventually               transform               you               into               a               technical               writing               guru.

After               that,               it's               up               to               you.
               Create               Your               Portfolio
               In               the               absence               of               a               work               environment               open               enough               to               allow               transition               into               a               new               role,               you               can               always               create               your               own               technical               writing               content.

You               can               write               technical               content               pieces               and               keep               them               in               a               portfolio               -               either               in               paper               form               or               online.

Here               is               my               online               portfolio.
               Use               the               pieces               in               your               portfolio               as               "work               samples"               for               prospective               employers.

As               a               newcomer,               make               certain               you               don't               go               about               developing               your               portfolio               alone.

Consult               with               seasoned               technical               writers               to               ensure               your               portfolio               pieces               are               top-notch.

While               they               should               be               clear               and               readable,               also               make               certain               your               writing               samples               demonstrate               your               ability               to               take               complex               technical               materials               and               render               them               into               a               structured               and               user-friendly               format.
               Take               It               And               Run
               While               these               words               don't               cover               the               myriad               things               you               could               do               to               prepare               yourself               for               a               new               career               in               technical               writing,               hopefully               this               gives               you               a               good               start.
               In               the               absence               of               a               clear               path,               I               strongly               suggest               you               seek               out               and               consult               with               technical               writers               who've               been               at               the               job               for               at               least               several               years.

Don't               just               talk               to               one,               talk               to               many.

Go               to               local               meetings,               such               as               those               held               by               the               Society               for               Technical               Communication,               the               IEEE,               and               the               like.

Leverage               the               benefits               their               collective               advice               can               offer.
               If               you               play               your               cards               well,               you               can               work               in               nearly               any               industry               that               requires               technical               content.

Congratulations!
               Good               luck!
               *****
               Resources               /               Suggested               Reading:               
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