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Subject:More Ramblings From:Simon North <simonxml -at- gmail -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Mon, 20 Feb 2023 19:37:15 +0100
I started my career in 1983. At my first interview at Dunlop (I didnât get the job) they still had a typing pool. Writers submitted manuscripts for typing and then marked up the copy for correction.
At my first job, Lucas Aerospace, we actually had word processors using what looked like WordStar. I was actually employed as a field service engine but also responsible for documentation. At the time, most technical writers in the UK were retired (Armed Forces) engineers. With outdated technical skills and reasonable pensions they kind of clogged up the profession.
I fled to the Netherlands where Philips too were just introducing word processors, though we still had process cameras and literally created camera copy on plates (I still have some blue pencils).
Rolling forward the years, I gained some fascinating experiences at the European Space Agency, consumer documentation at a third-party documentation, industrial documentation, EDA software documentation in Germany and California, defense electronics and now planning and scheduling software for Dassault SystÃmes.
I think over the years I must have worked with virtually every word processor and SGML authoring tool there is. Some I still miss (Interleaf) and some still give me nightmares (IBM DisplayWrite).
Still working full-time at nearly 70 (Iâm called a user assistance developer now). I wasnât planning to retire until 72 but it looks like incurable leukemia has other plans for me.
We still need tech writers, though the profession has changed so much! I loved my career, I love it still, and if I had the choice again I wouldnât hesitate.
Simon North
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