TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Spinoff of: Where did you get your feet wet From:"Jens Reineking" <J -dot- Reineking -at- interkomelectronic -dot- de> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 8 Jun 2005 08:56:35 +0200 (CEST)
No recommendations, just some personal experience. And living in Germany, this may be relevant or
not to you.
During university, I found my technical and science training to be useful since it made some
subjects easier, but a lot of technical and software stuff is mandatory here in Hannover.
I also found that the technical background (from training and university) gave me the abilitiy to
dive pretty fast into new software (digital thinking vs. rote memorizing tasks and buttons).
The technical/science background made it easier to talk to engineers and programmers.
The software architecture and software engineering classe furthered my ability to think
structured, to break down tasks, to find the essentials.
In addition to writing and technical knowledge, the third big factor in my work has been my good
knowledge of English (not quite on par with a native speaker, but pretty darn good, even if I say
it myself). Being able to talk to customers and partners worldwide, taking advantage of the
international community (like here), doing bilingual documentation and marketing material.
I know for a fact that my writing was considered a given for my current position, the technical
and language stuff gave me the edge.
All in all it comes down to the core qualification of technical communication: being able to speak
the language of your target audience - be internal or external, local or global, technical or
otherwise.
Jens
<zitiere wer="A.H.">
>
> Hey, all,
>
> I read a few of the threads for "Where did you get
> your feet wet" and noticed that most TWers had
> experience in some sort of technical or scientific
> fields.
>
> I am a senior studying tech writing in New York, and
> my program is a spinoff of the liberal arts program at
> the school. The only scientific course I really have
> to take is chemistry. I've avoided the required C++
> course.
>
> I've taken mostly writng courses, and a few graphic
> design courses, a usability course and others from the
> required courses list. If I'm looking for a career in
> TWing, am I at a disadvantage if I don't have a
> footing in science/engineering/technology?
>
> Thanks,
> Anthony Hernandez
New from Quadralay Corporation: WebWorks ePublisher Pro! Easily create
14 online formats, including 6 Help systems, in a project-based
workflow. Live, online demo! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Doc-To-Help 2005 now has RoboHelp Converter and HTML Source: Author
content and configure Help in MS Word or any HTML editor. No
proprietary editor! *August release. http://www.componentone.com/TECHWRL/DocToHelp2005
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
