Careers in Technical Communication ENGL 4100 Introduction to

Careers in Technical Communication ENGL 4100 – Introduction to the Profession Adapted from TTU’s Web Site (http: //english. ttu. edu/2311 TEAM)

What do tech writers do? • • high tech: online help, print manuals websites: e-commerce, information proposals editing, testing

Where to tech writers work? • high tech – IBM, National Instruments • government, business – AOL, AKT Thiokol, Hill AFB • social service, environmental writing – United Way, Survivors at the Summit, Department of Interiors

What is the job like day to day? • cross-functional teams – identify needs, plan products, development • research, writing, review, testing • training: learning software, products Technical communicators spend about half their time writing and editing

Where does the TC fit in? • Technical communicators increasingly participate in product design • They contribute verbal ability but also design and management strengths – defining problems – imagining solutions – managing the process to achieve solutions – using technology

Writing Technical Documents • determining needs • developing a concept • selecting and arranging materials to serve function and aesthetics

Documentation materials • • • text type and space on page or screen visuals and graphics media sound animation

Documentation strategies • content development • arrangement: for emphasis, comprehension, use • style: word choice, sentence structure, tone • visual design

Design criteria for technical writing • Conventional textual measures of “good” – spelling, grammar, organization, accuracy • Follows William’s C. R. A. P. principle – contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity http: //coe. sdsu. edu/eet/Articles/designprin 1/start. htm http: //coe. sdsu. edu/eet/Articles/designprin 2/start. htm

Design criteria for technical writing • Some measures outside the text – Can people use it easily? – Do users solve their problems efficiently and fairly? – Does it reflect good social values--ethics, access (culture, race, gender), accuracy

Career opportunities • in high tech: more jobs than available applicants • starting salaries: mid-30 s to low 40 s for B. A. ; up to 60 K for Master’s in TC • “hot job, ” U. S. News Oct 1998; “one of fastest growing, ” Money

Concepts emphasized TC Courses · Understanding documents as tools of solving workplace problems · Analyzing audiences, needs, and constraints · Gathering information through secondary and primary research · Writing as an expert to someone who knows less: responsibilities, strategies · Writing for efficient reading and use · Using information ethically