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I wholeheartedly echo David's comments. Our students are exposed to
every facet of technical communication that we can throw at them, from
technical training to technical marketing, project management, and web
development. They are shown related opportunities in knowledge
management, content development, and technology transfer. They are
encouraged to leverage their technical communication education in
whatever way suits their backgrounds, personal strengths and individual
inclinations.
A good technical communicator is an adept life-long learner who is often
self-taught in many areas, who adapts readily to new situations, who has
the skills to build relationships, who facilitates communication in
whatever form they encounter it, and who can see both the big picture
and the smallest of details. They can empathize with both the expert and
the neophyte, have a knack for explaining things, for simplifying the
complex, and making the incomprehensible clear and straightforward. Not
only do such people become directors of departments and business
leaders, but they create and manage their own companies, or even become
educators.
The editorial by Susan Burton in the April 2007 issue of the Intercom
noted that the STC was trying to get this definition for technical
communicator approved by the US Dept of Labour for the Standard
Occupational Classification (SOC) System: "Develop and design
informational and instructional tools needed to assure safe, appropriate
and effective use of science and technology, intellectual property, and
manufactured products and services. Combine multimedia knowledge and
strong communication skills with technical expertise to educate and
inform across the entire spectrum of users' abilities, technical
experience, and visual and auditory capabilities."
Sorry, you'll probably get an error message if you try to look that up
on the society's website, because that page is the part of the STC that
_is_ broken. :-}
--Beth
Beth Agnew, Professor
Co-ordinator, Technical Communication Program
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
Toronto, ON.
David Hailey wrote:
> The technical communicator who understands the entire collection of fields related to corporate communication and who stays abreast of
> innovations in the profession can become communications director.
>
> I'd love to hear examples of people who have done just that. What were their backgrounds? What were their career paths? What type of education did they have?
>
> Short answer: They practice a habit of life-long learning.
>
> Longer answer: We often have such people among our students. One that comes to mind is Gary Hernandez. He is now a director of communications for BP. Another is Rose Greer, she became technology manager at IBM. I often have students ask for dispensation for being behind on a project because they are being moved to a more demanding professional track at their workplace.
>
> The key, IMHO, is to develop a pattern of life-long learning. Not go to graduate school, necessarily, but to always know what is happening in the fringes of the industry, where the changes are taking place.
>
> ...
> David E. Hailey, Jr., Ph.D.
> Associate Professor -- Professional and Technical Writing
> Utah State University
> dhailey -at- english -dot- usu -dot- edu
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