Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter
April/May 2010

President's Notes
By Leah Scampoli

The Last Days of Technical Writers?

If you are a frequent visitor to the Chapter's monthly meetings, you may be starting to think that technical writers are a dying breed.

First, Andrew Davis talked about glimpsing the opportunities beyond the impasse, then we heard from Clark Quinn on how Web 2.0 is a game changer for how people search and push information, and finally, last month, Jack Molisani discussed alternative career paths.

What's a technical writer to do?

Luckily, our speakers provided some great ideas for both entering, prospering or reinventing yourself in our profession. And despite the sometimes disconcerting statistics or in-the-trenches accounts, it is possible to succeed--and still flourish--in a career we are all passionate about.

Especially as a newbie to the field, it was important for me to understand how I can improve my chances of having a long and prosperous career as a technical writer. So, I would like to share with you some of the takeaways I got from the meetings.

1. Don't limit myself as a "technical writer."

We've already made the change, mostly, to technical communicator. But from hearing from Andrew, Clark and Jack--that isn't even enough. Many jobs that technical writers could thrive in--and provide real value to the company in--are not titled technical writer, editor or even communicator. Let's not short change ourselves. Yes, we're good writers-but we're more than that. And it is the "more than that" that companies care about. We've all met people that think anyone can write, so we need to say that yes we are writers but our skills in communication and organization will translate to much, much more.

2. Embrace change.

I guess I'm going to have to quote Mad Men's Don Draper on this one: "Change isn't good or bad. It just is." And there is a real and irreversible change in how people are getting information. The idea of paper manuals (or the even more awful print manual to PDF) are being replaced by comment boards, wikis and other mainstays of Web 2.0. I'm more likely to find out the solution to a software problem by using Google than the company's website--just as I am more likely to go to YouTube to get someone's review on the latest gadget. It's a little frightening to think that the words we spent hours on will be ignored--or worse not even found--in favor of a blog. But, as the speakers mentioned, that's not the end of the world. What is stopping us from putting the same amount of thought and effort into these alternative formats. Wouldn't companies appreciate someone who sees and can clearly express how to utilize Web 2.0 to its best advantage?

3. Show my worth--in actual dollars.

For all of our great communication skills, it can still be hard to explain why companies need us. But that is exactly what must do. Our three recent speakers, and several speakers in the past have stressed the importance of calculating your worth--and making your company aware of it. Whether it’s making friends with accounting or customer service to get some great data to back you up, or making a point of researching your impact yourself, it’s always easier when you can point to how you helped the bottom line. There is also a longer-term strategy of moving into jobs that make it easier to do that and positioning yourself in a role that isn’t viewed as a necessary expense.

I wish everyone luck in their endeavors in navigating the white waters of the technical writing world. I’m just glad that I have a great group of speakers and fellow professionals in the Chapter help me through the rapids.