When Washington's Tracey Chiracosta decided to major in both English and
computer science in college, her friends thought she was crazy. "Everyone
told me that English and computer science was a strange combination," says
Chiracosta.
Thanks to the suggestion of a helpful professor, Chiracosta discovered
her interests weren't so strange after all. He told her about another student
who majored in English and computer science who had become a technical writer,
and was doing quite well.
After some research into the field, Chiracosta soon discovered technical
writing -- writing documents explaining how to operate different types of
science and technology -- was just the career for her. "I knew I wanted to
write, but not the great American novel. This is a career for people who enjoy
writing but don't want to write fiction.
"I wanted to earn a living and I found I had an aptitude for computers.
I always hated the computer documentation we had access to in college...and
I wanted to make it better," says Chiracosta.
Voila! The perfect match -- a technically minded writer meets technical
writing. Of course, not everyone in the field is the product of such a perfect
match. Tom Lindsay became involved in technical writing out of necessity.
Lindsay had been a junior high school teacher for years, and had quit to
pursue his career in writing. "I had always wanted to write [a great] novel,
but as any writer will tell you, it's pretty difficult to pay the bills writing
fiction," he says.
Lindsay found out about technical writing through a friend in a local writer's
group. His friend worked in the technical communications office of a software
company and had promised Lindsay a job when he needed it. After a year and
a half of earning small returns from his fiction writing, Lindsay decided
it was time to take his friend up on his offer.
In spite of his reservations about this field, Lindsay found technical
writing gave him an opportunity to utilize his talents as a teacher and a
writer. "Technical writing is about putting complex concepts into terms that
make sense to people. This is a big part of teaching and was the part I liked
best of all. I also get to write."
Chiracosta also enjoys paring down difficult procedures so they make sense
to people. She is quick to point out, however, that it can be tough for a
technical writer to learn enough about the technology in order to explain
it.
Technical writers often work directly with the engineers, scientists or
programmers who have created the technology. Since these are the people who
couldn't write their own manual to begin with, getting them to communicate
the purpose and proper use of their product can be quite a challenge.
"It helps to have a background in the technical field, so you can talk
intelligently with them about their project," says Chiracosta.
Paula Tannahill also says technical knowledge is important. She is an executive
member of a Society for Technical Communication (STC) chapter.
She explains that writers should be able to "understand and communicate technical
concepts relevant to the field they are working in (for example, highly complex
computing technology concepts)."
According to Tannahill, technical writers should also be familiar with
the following:
- software development process (for writers working in software development
and information technology environments)
- software commonly-used in the technical communication field (such as online
help systems, desktop publishing, graphics suites)
- web and marketing writing
Good communication skills are also a plus, according to Lindsay. "Not just
for the writing part, but also for communicating with the technical experts
and the writing and product testing team. There's a lot of teamwork in this
field," he says.
Technical writing is obviously a demanding field. You need a knack for
teamwork, technology and writing. This demand for diversity simply reminds
them that variety is the spice of life.
"I get to start and begin new projects all the time, work with new people,
find out about new technology, work in new environments...there's never a
dull moment," says Lindsay.
Others agree. Louise Rehling is a veteran technical writer. She holds a
PhD and teaches technical and professional writing at San Francisco State
University.
"Don't believe anyone who tells you that technical writing is boring! The
work can be challenging and varied and fun," she says.
"If you're curious about technical subjects, are a quick learner, work
well with others, and have strong writing and editing skills that you can
build on, technical writing might be an excellent career for you," she says.