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Subject:Re: Tool knowledge versus Task knowledge From:Beth Agnew <bagnew -at- INSYSTEMS -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 2 Oct 1998 08:59:32 -0400
Laurence Burrows wrote in part: "<snip>... my point is that being a good
communicator probably will never make you a good artist or printer. So why
do we pretend?"
It's true we often end up being Jack-of-all-trades and risk the
Master-of-none result. Technical communication is one of those broad
occupational categories that needs both kinds of people -- the handymen
(-persons) and the artisans.
I think you can be very skilled in more than one area. If I can take the
liberty of using Laurence himself as an example, he noted in his post that
he was a "pilot, aviation publisher, Framemaker re-seller/consultant,
publishing consultant...". Obviously one interest led to another, and he
developed significant skills such that he provides valuables services in
different categories. There are many such multi-talented people in our
profession.
The attributes that make us good technical communicators (curiosity,
interest in technical things, desire and ability to communicate,
perfectionism, logical thinking, organizational ability) carry over into
whatever sparks our interest. The subject matter is irrelevant. Those of us
who enjoy playing with graphics will develop increasing skills in that area,
while those of us who find dealing with printers a challenge, will lean more
in that direction. Ideally, we all get to do what we enjoy most.
In the meantime, our customers expect us to produce. Few employers want to
hire an artist, a typesetter AND a writer. When it comes to a choice, the
techwriter who can do a reasonable job in all three areas will get the job.
We need tools knowledge as well as task knowledge to be able to deliver.
--Beth
Beth Agnew
Senior Technical Writer, InSystems Technologies Inc.
65 Allstate Parkway, Suite 100 Tel: (905) 513-1400 ext. 280
Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 9X1 Fax: (905) 513-1419 mailto:bagnew -at- insystems -dot- com Visit us at: http://www.insystems.com
