April/May 2007

Volume 47, Number 5

Message from the Editor:

What I Want to be When I Grow Up

by Stephen Wertzbaugher

My dream of becoming a writer began at the tender age of 17 when I saw the original Star Wars in a sold-out theatre in Phoenix, Arizona in 1977. But it wasn’t until 1996, at the age of 35, that I realized my dream and took the proverbial plunge. Of course, my original dream involved writing novels and short stories. The reality is not quite so glamorous: for three years I worked for myself writing distance learning courses and the occasional software user manual and online help. For the past eight years I’ve worked for a software company writing software user assistance.

And though at this point in my life I can’t imagine doing anything else besides writing (and not necessarily technical writing) I know that many technical writers wonder if there is anything else beyond the horizon. Indeed there is: technical writing is not limited to working in the software industry penning user assistance that people may or may not use. If you are a software technical writer and, like me, want to continue writing but perhaps ply your trade somewhere else, there is a tree laden with opportunities just waiting to be plucked. These opportunities include working in the science, education, and healthcare industries, as well as in corporate markets penning corporate communications, sales and marketing materials, grant proposals, educational materials, newsletters, journal articles—the list continues, including almost every writer’s dream of writing and selling a novel.

But what if you don’t want to wear the writer’s hat any more? What can you do? Plenty. For example, my colleague Molly Malsam recently left technical writing and moved into usability engineering. What else might you do? Learn to code and become a software engineer. Teach, and not necessarily writing. Venture to the Dark Side in sales and marketing. Go back to school and earn a degree in whatever you really want to do now. It doesn’t really matter what that might be.

Why? Because as writers we are in demand despite what people may tell us, and not just as simple scribes. Our writing, research, organizational, interviewing, and other interpersonal skills place us at the pinnacle of opportunity. So, if change is blowing in the wind of your life, heed the call, take the plunge, dare to be different.

And while you’re contemplating moving your own cheese for a change, take a moment to read this issue of your newsletter. You’ll be glad you did.