Technical writing/communication is a very interesting field. The Society of Technical Communicators (STC) defines our profession with the following:
Technical communication is a broad field and includes any form of communication that exhibits one or more of the following characteristics:
Communicating about technical or specialized topics, such as computer applications, medical procedures, or environmental regulations.
Communicating by using technology, such as web pages, help files, or social media sites.
Providing instructions about how to do something, regardless of how technical the task is or even if technology is used to create or distribute that communication.
STC also adds in all the titles we could possibly be labeled as:
Technical Writers & Editors
Indexers
Information Architects
Instructional Designers
Technical Illustrators
Globalization & Localization Specialists
Usability & Human Factors Professionals
Visual Designers
Web Designers & Developers
Teachers & Researchers of Technical Communication
Trainers and E-Learning Developers
When reading through this list, one has to think that is impressive. I have been in the field for 12 years and can say not one job was like the other. Each new position had different requirements, with different software, on different networks. You kind of see where this is going. It is almost like being that new guy to the field for every first day on the job except you are a seasoned professional.
So are we like the X-men of the professional realm, out to help in any situation? No, but that would be pretty cool. I have found most technical writers have one core ability that makes us amazing at what we do. It is the ability to adapt quickly to an environment and/or technology. We often go in to a new position without much prior knowledge of the proprietary technology we are about to document. On the government side you have military leadership that changes out frequently, adjusting or eliminating the courses of action (COAs) from the previous commander. Even with these roadblocks ahead of us, technical writers are expected to “hit the ground running” as they say and be able to breakdown a system/concept into something digestible for the end user.
I personally see this as an amazing feat of adaptability, as I have been in the position where I took on developer and system admin roles (basic) because the team needed a hand with a project. I had no previous knowledge of the tasks I was to be overseeing; however, I was expected to learn. In some instances, I became a subject matter expert (SME) on the system. As a company owner, I find this trait indispensable because this means I can rely on this professional no matter what project comes to TechDocs. I am not just talking technical writers either; I have worked with talented developers who could pick up/learn new code on the fly to make a project work.
Unfortunately this ability is seen differently by companies based on whether the professional is a technical writer or developer. The developer will be held in high regards as someone who can jump from projects and fill gaps in application development where needed, even if they need some time to spin up on a new language. For technical writers, we too can be held in high regards. I have been fortunate enough to be on great teams that allowed me to show off my potential, often receiving kudos by our customer. Our customer is behind me and my work; my team is behind me and my work. So where is this downside to adaptability.
My experience has shown that adaptability for the technical writer can often result in being expendable during contract renewals/losses. Now don’t get me wrong, many professionals can get cut during contract renewals/losses. Companies do indeed take notice that technical writers have this amazing ability, which in turn makes the current technical writer expendable based on the fact the company can get another one at a lower rate, less need for flexibility, etc. I was laid off four times in a five year period while developing high quality documentation that was receiving kudos from leadership. In some cases, I was the only documentation person for the whole organization.
As mentioned earlier, companies will often find they can replace senior writers (require higher pay/more flexibility due to family) with more entry level ones who can adapt to the company’s needs just as well and not need those extra perks. I believe this is a bad choice as the seasoned writer carries tacit knowledge about the company’s documentation and processes. A new writer would need to learn these, which could hinder the document process in the long run. Another way our adaptability works against us is by companies thinking that if technical writers can do it, so can the developers. This results in the writing staff being reduced/eliminated, and the documentation jobs are now passed to the developers. There is nothing developers like more than spending time writing documentation (sarcasm). The final issue that can arise is the companies not seeing us as fully knowledgeable in the arena they operate. The old saying goes, “jack of all trades, master of none.” In a sense we have to be a jack of trades to be competitive in the technical communication field, especially with the number document/collaborative applications, markup/coding languages, and graphic design programs. It is impossible to know them all but is a must to certain employers. Because we are not SMEs, we are seen as a position that another could slot in and pick up where the last left off.
I do believe our ability to adapt and learn anything quickly is an impressive talent for technical writers; yes, I am somewhat biased. It should not be looked at as a negative since most other fields with this skill set would be seen as indispensable. Technical writers are crucial to an organization, especially in fields with complex information that needs to take the end users’ lack of knowledge into consideration. I will continue to be dumbfounded how one of our greatest assets can be turned against us when there is so much more benefits that come from our abilities to adapt/learn on the fly; however, maybe as tech become more and more relevant in every aspect of our lives, companies will see the benefits as us technical writers do.
Have you had a different experience with regards to your ability to learn on the fly? Is there a point I missed? Let us know in the comments below.
-Chris