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Current Trends in Professional Writing:

Requirements for Employment

By Jonathan Benton

             Introduction

            In the current market for technical and professional writers (which for all practical purposes are the same thing, and will be used interchangeably here), there are of course different needs depending upon the company that is doing the hiring.  But at the same time, there are general and specific needs shared by a large percentage of the employers of tech writers.  This paper will look at a large portion of those shared requirements in an effort to cover the basics for someone interested in fulfilling those requirements.

            Experience

There are four main areas of requirements that employers are looking for, of which experience is usually the first listed.  The average range of experience needed is two to seven years.  However, those interested in launching a career in the field of professional writing need not panic: there is more than one way to gain this experience, for many companies will consider higher education or a certificate at least partial experience.  In some cases, several fields will provide the applicant with adequate experience.  Industry experience in technology, marketing, the Internet, communications, and journalism are all suggested as ways of meeting this requirement.  There are companies that will want the experience to be solely stemming from a form of technical writing.            

Education

A degree of some type, or at least a certificate, is usually asked for as well.  These degrees include a B. A. in English, M. S. in Technical Writing or English, and course work related to journalism, marketing, and communications.  Several employers note that a B. A., B. S., M. A. or a certificate will be equivalent to X number of years of experience. Some of the premiere schools offering graduate as well as undergraduate work in technical writing include:

Two institutions were examined and compared to determine a general idea of the kind of general education available at a University and in an online classroom.  The University of North Carolina Charlotte, chosen here because of its relative proximity to ETSU, offers tracks in professional writing.  There are three options in Technical Writing at UNC Charlotte.  A student may obtain an Undergraduate Minor, a M. A. in English with a concentration in Tech Writing, or a Graduate Certificate in Tech Writing.  Declaring a minor in Technical/Professional Writing means completing twenty-one hours of coursework.  A M. A. in English with a concentration in Tech Writing has a rhetoric and writing emphasis and requires thirty-six credit hours plus a written M. A. exam based on the reading list in the student’s chosen emphasis.  For a Graduate Certificate in Technical Writing a student must be a post-baccalaureate, graduate, or post-M. A. student.  Twenty-one credit hours of graduate course work are needed to receive the certificate. 

Whether one is pursuing an Undergraduate Minor, a M. A. in English with a concentration in Tech Writing, or a Graduate Certificate in Tech Writing, UNC Charlotte focuses on several goals.  Students will learn to design information and visuals.  Management of publications and projects will be stressed.  Applications such as Pagemaker, PowerPoint, and authoring tools are taught.  Students will gain experience developing Web pages, using hypermedia and multimedia tools, and creating on-line support systems.  In addition to all of the classes available, students will have the opportunity to work with real clients. The courses that are Tech Writing specific include:

For a M. A., Rhetoric and Writing Emphasis with a concentration in Technical/Professional writing, students are given the following guidelines:

These classes are in addition to a couple of required introductory courses. 

An online class that offers a certificate in technical writing was also examined.  The course chosen was Online Learning’s Professional Technical Writing course.  In this set of instructor-led classes, which usually start during the first week of every month and run for twelve weeks, students are required to complete four assignments and learn some of the basics in the field.

The course covers the applications, theories, and practice of technical writing in which students practice techniques across a series of five documents and usability tests.  Some software will be taught during the course, such as XML editors and graphics software.  The course focuses on text modification and group work in addition to the theory.  

Specifically, the first section of the course deals with resumes, cover letters, and XML.  In the second section, the student will study effective manual writing and techniques in using graphics.   Thirdly, a basic approach to revision and design will be covered.  And the final section looks at formal reports with an emphasis on form and style.  There are online resources available within the course as well. 

Students completing the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Carleton University's School Of Business, Professional Development Division, in Ottawa, Canada.

The total cost for the course is $550, so it can be considered a cost-effective way to gain some education in the field of technical writing, but an employer is going to look at the time involved vs. a more traditional degree that requires years to accomplish.  With the exception of a few programs, much of the important software is left out that you might get in a University setting.

 

Programs and Tools

There is quite a list of programs and tools that will confront someone who sets out to become a technical writer.  Knowing HTML and Java is usually helpful.  HTML authoring tools such as Macromedia’s HomeSite, and FrontPage, Microsoft’s Web site creation and managing tool are beneficial.  Several companies also require Microsoft Word and the Microsoft Office Suite, which includes FrontPage, Excel, Microsoft’s spreadsheet program, PowerPoint, Microsoft’s graphics presentation software, and Access, Microsoft’s database managing system.  UNIX, a powerful operating system used by programmers, is often mentioned as well.

Macromedia’s Dreamweaver, a Web site developing tool that allows for the development of rich graphics content, is a rival of FrontPage and sometimes required by a company.   

Several of the software products by Adobe make are frequently asked for, with FrameMaker topping the list.  FrameMaker is a program that provides the tools to create long documents through a vast number of options for graphical enhancements.  FrameMaker is used to create documents for several mediums, such as print and the web.  Adobe Illustrator, graphics creation software, is another Adobe product that companies will ask for.  Adobe Acrobat lets one create a Portable Document File (PDF) which in turn allows anyone to open the document across a broad range of hardware and software, with no distortion of text of graphics.  PageMaker is Adobe’s page layout software full of templates and digital photographs that make it easy to produce high quality pages.  Adobe Photoshop supplies templates and the software necessary for customizing and editing photographs.   

By far one of the most sought after programs is RoboHelp.  RoboHelp allows a user to author help programs in a variety of formats.  So many companies are interested in hiring people with knowledge of this program.  

These programs and tools are by no means inexpensive.  And as expensive as they are, training for them is usually worse.  Below are some of the more useful programs, with prices and costs for differing types of training.  

RoboHelp  $899

 Obviously the most cost-effective method of learning these programs would be on-the-job training, or attending a school equipped with the programs.  However, the costs are even prohibitive to many Universities.  

 General Skills

Employers seeking to fill a position of a Tech Writer look for a variety of skills and personal strengths that the job demands.  Good written and verbal communication skills are possibly the most important of these skills.  Without good written and verbal communication skills, a professional writer cannot accomplish what he was hired to do, which is of course writing.  Part of the verbal communication skills is the ability to converse with technical personnel: engineers, designers, technicians, and build good working relationships necessary for strong teamwork. Tech Writers should have the ability to interview subject matter experts (SMEs) with whom they will be working closely, and the ability to absorb and summarize technical subject matter.  

Technical writing is very deadline oriented, so a technical writer must be able to work under pressure.  Tech writers must be able to switch gears quickly, working on a higher priority project at a moment’s notice, creating a need for organization and efficiency.   

Employers are looking for strong editing skills. In fact, many of the job listings read Editor/Technical Writer.  A solid concept of audience is needed, knowing how to present to a large number of very different clients. 

At times, an employer’s needs require a more specific background.   A basic understanding of different business functions, accounting applications, engineering, design or manufacturing will be requested.  Tech Writers live and die by proposals.  Proposals are the means by which funding is acquired, as well as projects are commissioned by clients, so a Tech Writer should have a basic understanding of the proposal process going in.  One of the ‘unwritten rules’ for the hierarchy of need as set forth by Tom Wilk in his WRK4US Speaker Discussion, deals with this very issue:  “Proposals/grant applications come before any project work; project work comes before any scientific publication work.” (Wilk)  The nature of business demands that the need for capital come before all else.  

Academia vs. Real World

So exactly how much does the classroom setting prepare one for a job in technical writing?  The systems have very different philosophies in some respects, and certainly very different dynamics.  At the company where Tom Wilk works in the Environmental Restoration Department, he notes that his experiences in the classroom were not particularly helpful when it came to his job in the company:  “the omnipresent authority dynamic of a classroom (fairly vertical, despite all the theory over decentering) simply isn’t replicated in the ER group (fairly horizontal, and full of experienced professionals/peers, not students).”  (Wilk)   Wilk also points out that much of his academic work was solitary, where technical writing was much more geared toward working with people and developing relationships.  Even the editing process was somewhat different (“differently complex”) than Wilk’s experience grading papers as a graduate student.  He notes that in his situation he had to learn by “several trials of fire (i.e. large projects and other, more painful learning experiences).” (Wilk)

Wilk’s experience in the classroom came from only basic English degrees, and not from a specialization in technical writing, so this discussion does not apply to the degrees which focus on the professional writing.   But as many tech writers come from this background, it is a question worth pursuing.  There is no doubt that an extended education in English provides the tools with which to write well, and that skill is invaluable to a technical writer, serving them well with editing skills that will in some form be needed.  But the environment will radically change once the student moves on to tech writing.   While funds are needed to keep a University going, the emphasis in academia is on getting published.  As the previously quoted rule by Wilk points out, in tech writing, publication is last on the list of priorities, so a different mindset is needed. 

When dealing with a degree that is tech writing oriented, however, these concerns would fade, as they would be discussed and pointed out.  Also, the addition of experience with many of the programs, for those schools fortunate enough to be able to afford the programs in the first place, would be of huge benefit to the budding professional writer. 

For those unable to attend a University with access to these programs, there are few alternatives.  There is always the option of the short but intensive courses, which in view of the staggering costs of the individual programs, don’t look like such a bad idea.  One can’t help but think that if he or she were given the opportunity to sit down with some of the programs for any length of time, a working knowledge of the rudimentary elements could be obtained.  The problem lies in the availability of the software.  And then there is the option of gaining the knowledge through on-the-job experience, although one would have to be hired first without the knowledge of the programs.  

 Conclusion

In the four main areas of requirements, experience, education, programs and tools, and general skills, there are different ways to fulfill each.  Experience usually means time spent as a technical writer but can be met by education or experience in related fields.  A Bachelor of Arts in English, Bachelor of Science, Master’s in Technical Communications, or some kind of certification can go toward the requirements of education.  Several means can be used to learn the necessary programs and tools that are often asked for, from classes at a University, to short, intensive courses that focus on one program or set of programs.  On-the-job training can go a long way in teaching many of the programs as well, and is a common method of learning them, if one is hired.  As far as the general skills go, much of those are dependent upon a person’s background, personality, and life experiences.  But those skills can be developed as well, although some people are predisposed to them.  Most of them boil down to communication skills, which can be developed through a curriculum such as is offered in an English degree. 


Jonathan Benton is a Graduate Student at ETSU.  He is currently teaching at a local High School and working on a M. A. in English. 

 

Works Cited