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.
Re: going into the local bar and saying you're a tech writer
Subject:Re: going into the local bar and saying you're a tech writer From:Steve Jong/Lightbridge <Steve_Jong/Lightbridge*LIGHTBRIDGE -at- NOTES -dot- CREDTECH -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 29 Sep 1995 10:08:06 EDT
It was long ago and far away, but it still pertains to the thread...
In 1978 my wife and I vacationed in Ireland, home of Joyce and Yeats. At the
Shannon airport rental-car desk, when the clerk filled out his form and asked
what I did for a living, I proudly said, "I'm a technical writer."
"Oh, we can't have that," he said, frowning. "I'll put down 'technical
operator.'"
Needless to say, it was a deflating experience. As near as we could figure it,
the clerk equated "technical writer" with "freelance writer," and feared his
bosses would think he'd rented a car to an itinerant!