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I can certainly relate to the experience of having friends with English degrees who turn up their noses at technical writing. They were sold on the idea of being authors and they will chase that dream for the entirety of their 20's, aided by things like funded MFA programs that encourage repeat applications and annual conferences which require a high degree of job flexibility. It's a bit like acting... when you are looking for a big break, a workaday job is probably not beneficial but you also probably don't want to ditch the search for the big break until it's too late and the workaday job is harder to get. Vicious cycle for those who choose creative career paths.
Many times technical writers actually need to be somewhat technical. Most English majors aren't. Like I said earlier, good writing (basically professional grade) is essentially assumed by all employers. Being articulate is no longer a skill.
Many times technical writers actually need to be somewhat technical. Most English majors aren't. Like I said earlier, good writing (basically professional grade) is essentially assumed by all employers. Being articulate is no longer a skill.
It may be assumed, but it's not common.
The problem I always had training new intelligence analysts--and it's the same issue in civilian corportions--is that English majors write academically for professors rather than for decision makers.
Academic writing primarily seeks to display scholarship. Decision makers seldom care about scholarship, they care about how new information reveals conclusions about conditions that drive their decisions.
The problem I always had training new intelligence analysts--and it's the same issue in civilian corportions--is that English majors write academically for professors rather than for decision makers.
Academic writing primarily seeks to display scholarship. Decision makers seldom care about scholarship, they care about how new information reveals conclusions about conditions that drive their decisions.
Don't worry, I have this same problem with new scientists and engineers. They also write academically, probably because they were taught by English majors. It's hard getting them to break that habit and write for decision makers. Some just can't do it. And then get mad because the decision maker went with someone else's idea.
I can certainly relate to the experience of having friends with English degrees who turn up their noses at technical writing. They were sold on the idea of being authors and they will chase that dream for the entirety of their 20's, aided by things like funded MFA programs that encourage repeat applications and annual conferences which require a high degree of job flexibility. It's a bit like acting... when you are looking for a big break, a workaday job is probably not beneficial but you also probably don't want to ditch the search for the big break until it's too late and the workaday job is harder to get. Vicious cycle for those who choose creative career paths.
I don't know if its really "I am to good to be a technical writer" certainly there are a few English majors like that. But I think its more "I would love to get into technical writing but X job requires 2-3 years of experience and samples of past technical writing and I don't currently have either so now I have no idea how to break into technical writing".
For myself I would love to be a copywriter and yes I do have a portfolio and I am applying but I am kind of running into the same problem as those wanting to break into technical writing. I.e.. you don't have the previous experience then it can be very hard to get that entry level copy writing, technical writing position.
A lot of people go to college not just for employment purposes, but also for the prestige factor. If you're a millennial other millennials will find you a little weird if you don't have at least a bachelors.
I don't know if its really "I am to good to be a technical writer" certainly there are a few English majors like that. But I think its more "I would love to get into technical writing but X job requires 2-3 years of experience and samples of past technical writing and I don't currently have either so now I have no idea how to break into technical writing".
For myself I would love to be a copywriter and yes I do have a portfolio and I am applying but I am kind of running into the same problem as those wanting to break into technical writing. I.e.. you don't have the previous experience then it can be very hard to get that entry level copy writing, technical writing position.
I've noticed that these threads always devolve into some well-connected person lording it over a bunch of less-than-well-connected people. The fact is, as I think you have alluded to, the only way to get a job is to either already have the job or to know someone on the inside. I believe this is because, in the modern way of life in the U.S., most positions are effectively inherited rather than earned (and this is true to the detriment of society as a whole).
The best part is that the post in this thread that started the discussion about technical writing was in regards to a person who seemingly only did it as a way to get their foot in the door in order to be able to do coding. That's kind of a red flag to me that they're relying on their network to finangle their way into positions they shouldn't have and/or which they wouldn't otherwise have. So I don't think it's possible to extrapolate much of anything from that particular example; it really seems unlikely that there are aspiring writers going around thinking they're too good to write.
I don't know if its really "I am to good to be a technical writer" certainly there are a few English majors like that. But I think its more "I would love to get into technical writing but X job requires 2-3 years of experience and samples of past technical writing and I don't currently have either so now I have no idea how to break into technical writing".
For myself I would love to be a copywriter and yes I do have a portfolio and I am applying but I am kind of running into the same problem as those wanting to break into technical writing. I.e.. you don't have the previous experience then it can be very hard to get that entry level copy writing, technical writing position.
I'm a business analyst and would love to transition to a pure technical writer, but there are very few of those jobs around. Yes, I have to do some technical documentation in my current role, as well as previous roles, but it certainly isn't enough to make a job out of it.
Unless it's a software company, having enough stuff to do for a pure technical writer would likely be found only in very large companies.
I've noticed that these threads always devolve into some well-connected person lording it over a bunch of less-than-well-connected people. The fact is, as I think you have alluded to, the only way to get a job is to either already have the job or to know someone on the inside. I believe this is because, in the modern way of life in the U.S., most positions are effectively inherited rather than earned (and this is true to the detriment of society as a whole).
The best part is that the post in this thread that started the discussion about technical writing was in regards to a person who seemingly only did it as a way to get their foot in the door in order to be able to do coding. That's kind of a red flag to me that they're relying on their network to finangle their way into positions they shouldn't have and/or which they wouldn't otherwise have. So I don't think it's possible to extrapolate much of anything from that particular example; it really seems unlikely that there are aspiring writers going around thinking they're too good to write.
There's plenty of nepotism, but there's still plenty of "bootstrapping" too. In 2013, I was working part-time for a help desk that was contracted to a large manufacturing firm. There was no real opportunity for advancement, little chance of being hired by the client, and I was working 36 hrs/week for $11.68/hr with no benefits of any kind. I knew I could do better and began shooting applications around the country, and got into a small satellite office of a company in Indiana. I immediately made double what I had in Tennessee, stayed there a couple of years, then came back to Tennessee in August. I'm clearing more every pay day than I have in my life.
I didn't have any connections in Indiana at the time. I made the decision to relocate, partially at my own expense, to Indiana to build a better future. Had I simply stayed here and waited to get a better job locally while working at that help desk, it wouldn't have happened.
I did get lucky in a lot of respects, but luck wouldn't have had an opportunity if I hadn't starting knocking on the door.
I don't know if its really "I am to good to be a technical writer" certainly there are a few English majors like that. But I think its more "I would love to get into technical writing but X job requires 2-3 years of experience and samples of past technical writing and I don't currently have either so now I have no idea how to break into technical writing".
For myself I would love to be a copywriter and yes I do have a portfolio and I am applying but I am kind of running into the same problem as those wanting to break into technical writing. I.e.. you don't have the previous experience then it can be very hard to get that entry level copy writing, technical writing position.
And that's where having some actual technical ability helps get past that rub. I'm not a developer or a technical expert, but I have enough technical competence to do what I need to do for the jobs I've held. I enjoy tech as a hobby and follow quite a few tech sites of various flavors, and have since I was in high school.
If you're in an even somewhat technical role, the odds are quite high that you will be doing documentation at some point, and that's the type of work you can leverage to get into a more pure technical writer role. The technical writer may not need to understand every technical detail, but they need to understand enough of the big picture and some of the details to document effectively and often to communicate with a non-technical audience.
I know several English majors. Most are K-12 teachers. I'm still pretty close with one of my high school English teachers and he's a good friend of mine. Some weren't so good. None of the ones who became teachers to my knowledge are published authors. Come to think of it, I don't know any published authors on a personal level.
A big problem I've seen with a couple of English majors I know (as well as plenty of people in the gen. population), is that they stop writing after college. If you aren't regularly reading sophisticated material and also writing, you begin to lose those skills. I read the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Economist, and about a book a week. I probably write 3,000 words of decent material on C-D a lot of days. I didn't read or write much the first few years out of college, and I can tell by reading and writing more over the last two years or so, that my writing skills are better than they've ever been.
Don't worry, I have this same problem with new scientists and engineers. They also write academically, probably because they were taught by English majors. It's hard getting them to break that habit and write for decision makers. Some just can't do it. And then get mad because the decision maker went with someone else's idea.
This very true. I remember in grad school there were classes solely on teaching us how to write to management/leadership. It was completely different from writing a scientific research article or term paper, and flipped my notion of how to write upside down.
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