Re: FWD: Career transition away from tech writing

["Jason A. Czekalski" <topsidefarm -at- mva -dot- net>]

> Forwarded anonymously on request--please reply to list only. Thanks!
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> 
> Hallo.
> 
> I'm thinking about leaving the field of technical writing and I'm very
> interested in learning about the jobs other technical writers have
> transitioned to. Project management, training, and user experience seem
> to be the more common transitions, but are there other areas you may
> have ventured into?
> 
> Thank you.
> 
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> Forwarded anonymously on request--please reply to list only. Thanks!


If you don't mind going back to school for a couple of years, consider
Law. I'm in Law School right now (Massachusetts School of Law) and have
found that the skills I developed as a tech writer are among the most
valuable I have. The Law is all about analysis, application, and
communication. These are the very things we do in our day-to-day writing
lives. 

My personal insight has actually been confirmed by discussions I have
had with my professors. Their experience is that the people who do the
best at the Law are those who come from engineering, science, and
technology backgrounds, as well as the tech writers who support them. It
has to do with all of the analysis we have to do in our jobs. 

I graduate next May and haven't quite decided exactly what I am going to
do. It will probably be something related to engineering. That brings me
to the next important point, Law is a wide open field with lots of
potential routes to follow. Think beyond "Law & Order" and "Boston
Legal" (please think way beyond "Boston Legal"). You have more control
over your career choices than just about any other field out there.

Whatever you do, good luck in it.

Jason A. Czekalski
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