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Re: Is tech writing a profession? Are we professionals?
Subject:Re: Is tech writing a profession? Are we professionals? From:"Phillip St. James" <saint0 -at- verizon -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 3 Feb 2005 11:24:20 -0800
My question is open ended, Barry and all... That is, tech writing is seen
by high level executives and managers in a variety of ways. Engineering
managers see it perhaps similarly. Government entities have hard and fast
categories that often are based on case law and labor law.
We tech writers see ourselves again in a variety of definitions. Because we
have junior, intermediate and senior categories along with consulting and
contracting categories, it's difficult to find an appropriate, solid footing
here.
I am curious to know how others in our field categorize themselves. The
Society for Technical Communication had a thread going on this subject a few
years where one academic type said that we are most emphatically not a
profession. I wondered whether the dust had settled and the trade (or
whatever) vs. profession designation/categorization had finally been agreed
upon by most tech writers.
Does top management see us as professionals? Are programmer/analysts
professionals?
Since many writers eventually want to advance to perhaps tech pubs manager
or doc manager, the picture becomes even more murky. Is that level the only
true documentation professional?
I have no particular preference myself. I've been doing this work off and
on since 1976. The title or labor category for the state labor agencies or
the IRS hasn't been nearly as important as getting the work out properly and
on time.
I'm simply curious how new and veteran tech writers see themselves with
respect to being an official or unofficial professional and whether it's an
important issue to them.
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