A friend had dropped in last weekend and we were talking about his interests in moving to a technical writing career. He is happy with his current job as a product support engineer, so I asked him a few questions as to why he wanted to change his career.
Career
15
Oct 09
Books for Technical Communicators
STC’s Intercom magazine for September/October 2009 includes a featured article available to all. We often find technical writers or aspirants looking for resources that would equip them to learn and build skills. The following article has a good list of useful books.
Foundation Books: A Lone Writer’s Annotated List
By: David Kowalsky, Senior Member
Kowalsky provides a compilation of suggested foundation books for technical communicators. He includes books on style, management, editing, design and presentation, writing for the web, and DITA and HTML.
I wonder if we could lay our hands on these books. If not, it would be a good idea to recommend them to the libraries at work or closer home.
14
Apr 09
Technical Communicators – Online Presence and Activities
Internet has made global village a reality and the possibilities are endless, especially for writers. Technical communicators (individual or in a group) around the world have active presence on the Internet. Many of them are highly experienced and some are relatively new. Regardless of their location and areas of work, they have a huge following. Through their views and activities, they’ve have contributed to the profession in their own ways. The power of one is apparent in the case of many such personalities.
19
Mar 09
Recession-proof Your Career: Send Out Ships
From Recession-proof Your Career by Jack Molisani (Intercom, March 2009 edition):
You’ve probably heard the expression “when my ship comes in.” Any idea where that expression comes from? In the nineteenth century, merchants in Europe would mortgage everything they owned to build and provision ships to sail to the new world. When (if) the ships finally returned loaded with furs and spices and other goods, the merchants would be rich beyond their wildest dreams.
However, as Chellie Campbell says in her book The Wealthy Spirit, “Some people are going down to the dock, waiting for their ship to come in—but they haven’t sent any out!”
You have to send out ships. Every call you make, every business card you give out, every newsletter article you write, and every presentation you give is a ship that might someday come in. It may take weeks or years for those ships to come in, but if you send enough out, they will come in.
So the secret to ongoing prosperity and “job security” is to keep sending out ships!
16
Feb 09
Which Course or Certification is the Best for a Fresher Looking to be Technical Writer?
[This article has been published in MITWA News, April 2009 edition. It is available for the members of MITWA Yahoo Group athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/MITWA.
Download the PDF copy.]
Someone asked me a question that I felt is the most FAQ:
Courses in Tech Writing – Your opinions solicited!
Hi, Nowadays I see more than one company/school offering certification courses on Technical Writing. Would it be wise to advocate any of these courses to a fresher?
Any tips, opinions, thoughts, on which courses might be better? Any tips, opinions, thoughts, on which courses are best avoided?
Any other suggestions I can give to an interested fresher?
Any related experiences to share?
12
Feb 09
All the Write Moves
According to the Newton’s theory of inertia, an object remains in its current state unless acted upon by an external force. This tendency to remain in the current state is called inertia, which also translates to inaction and lethargy. No, this is not a physics paper. I was thinking why the technical writers would choose to move to a new role: this article reviews common reasons (why move), and discusses practices (when and how to move) to sustain consistent growth in one’s career and insulate it from potential layoffs. Be warned, the topic is emotional and so is this article.
4
Nov 08
How to deal with workload
You’re learning something to finish a job at hand before the deadline. A senior drops an email to ‘take care’ of something. And then your boss asks for the status. Work piling up, un-ending deadlines, expectations…sounds familiar?
There is no doubt that employers expect you to complete ‘at least’ 100% of your tasks, meaning you’re supposed to do your job. But your appraisal rating indicates a better hike/compensation if you ‘consistently’ exceed expectations, meaning you’ve got to do something over and above your job.
7
Oct 08
How to Make Great Presentations
Source: How to Captivate an Audience from How to Change the World by GuyKawasaki.
The four horsemen (horse-people?) of presentation skills are Garr Reynolds, Nancy Duarte, Bert Decker, and Jerry Weisman. Over at the American Express Open Forum blog, I just published an interview with Nancy Duarte called “How to Captivate an Audience.” In this interview she explains the“how” of making great presentations, so check it out.
6
Jun 08
Oh no, I’ve a new boss
How good is (s)he? Am I going to build the rapport all over again? What happens to my appraisal? Is he going to approve my allowances? Is he strict with the timings? Are we still going out for team lunch? And so the list goes on.
Every person is different and everything is a package – you’ve a mix of things you like and hate. A manager is no exception. He is hired to this position by his boss to get some things done. He comes with a certain experience, skills, attitude and style.
22
May 08
I'm Sick of My Job
It’s like saying I’m sick of driving through the same route everyday. It’s monotonous, boring, there’s not much happening and the manager is an as****e.
Most of us take the same route to office daily, drive or ride. We know the route well enough to take off-peak hours whenever we can. We know the bumps, we know the turns, we know which lane to be on to proceed faster ahead. I don’t think we feel bored of commuting by the same route. It often becomes mechanical, and hence a smooth, uneventful drive to and from office.
Switching from one job to another is much like changing your route. Before doing that, review what’s bothering you. See how you can make things better. Most often, it’s the people who make a difference at work. Try to mingle and jingle.
It’s nice to remember this. If we’re driving on the same route everyday, we could drive at higher speed and be safe at the same time. We could get efficient, we could multitask. Things which equally apply to your current job. Build on your strengths, increase your success rate and efficiency. You know the company, the people, the culture, where to look for things. Build on it.
If you’re still convinced that your true call lies elsewhere, go for it. No stopping you. Only this time, ensure you don’t get sick.
