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.
Those of us who use Word on a daily basis to efficiently author high-quality documentation at successful companies are always entertained by the claim that it's impossible. Happy Friday!
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Lauriston
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2015 2:41 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions
My view is pretty much the opposite. I deny all knowledge of the advanced techniques using SEQ fields and so on that some people use to kludge Word into a semi-usable documentation authoring tool.
Using Word as the primary authoring tool for technical documentation is a false economy. It's a safe bet that any company that does has made many other false economies. That means that workplace suck in many other ways, most of which you can learn about from reading Dilbert. I would never apply for a job where Word is the primary tool unless the were looking for someone to migrate to a professional single-sourcing tool.
Having to convert a PDF to editable source is typically another sign of an out-of-control company you'd be better off not working for, unless they know they've made a mess and are hiring you to clean it up.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Learn more about Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2015 Release) | http://bit.ly/1FR7zNW
