August/September 2004

Volume 45, Number 1

Tips from the Trenches

by Deb Lockwood

For this month's article, I asked our membership two questions:

1. If you had it to do all over again, what one thing (or things) would you avoid this time around?
2. What thing (or things) would you most definitely do again?

The responses I received included comments about job choices, career path choices, and education choices. Thank you to everyone who submitted a response. I appreciate everyone's input and willingness to share their experiences.

I would never do this again

"I really cannot think of any major decision that I would do differently. Not to imply that I'm perfect, by any means, but I don't sit around regretting any significant decisions that I've made. Even ones that were not so great taught me something useful. Either that or I've managed to put them behind me so that I don't even think about them any more."

"My responses are based on back-dooring into the profession in the early 80's when you could still do that. I have 20+ years of experience in the field, a BS in Journalism with an English minor, and an MS in Technical Communication with post-graduate work in usability. If you had it to do all over again, what one thing (or things) would you avoid this time around? Playing politics (this is much easier to do if you're a contractor rather than a captive). The need to believe absolutely in the rightness of the business decisions made by corporate decision-makers (again, much easier to do if you're a contractor)."

"My answer is not what would I avoid, but what I would do if I had it to do all over again. I would have started a career in technical communications earlier in life. I get so excited when I see the 20-30 year olds coming to our meetings because they have so many exciting things to learn and time to do it."

"Based on my experience so far, there are a couple of things I would do differently:

1. I would spend less time training and acquiring skills and more time job hunting and networking.
2. Not to contrast the above, but the basic training classes (e.g., introduction to Microsoft Office, HTML) that I've taken have been essential because I can associate the skills learned with more difficult software applications."

"I try to concentrate on the positive, set goals, look toward the future, do my best, and accomplish what I can. I don't second-guess decisions any more because I find it is more productive to learn from your mistakes and move forward. Having said that, if I had it to do over again, I would have done more research on pursuing my second (graduate) degree. I talked to someone in the Technical Communications department at CU Denver who told me I couldn't get an MS degree in Technical Communications with a BS in another field (geology). Because I was unaware that this advice was incorrect, instead of pursuing an MS in Tech Comm, I acquired a BS in Tech Comm. I don't think it has really affected my career other than an MS would have allowed me to teach some classes."

I would do this again

"If I did everything over again, I would most definitely do the following:

• Go to college
• Learn about and work with computer technology
• Become a technical communicator
• Learn to be more extroverted by giving presentations and networking at meetings
• Start my own business
• Join and become active in STC
• Learn FrameMaker
• Learn basic HTML
• Learn WebWorks Publisher
• Mentor colleagues on working as an independent or using FrameMaker and WebWorks Publisher"

"I'd definitely still seek a master's degree in technical communication. With the skills I developed through a master's program, I went from being a good writer to being a good communicator. I use those skills every day, and I don't think I'd be nearly as effective as I am without them. I could probably still do my job with what I learned in college, but I'm a much better medical writer now that I know more about technical communication."

"These are the things I would do again:

• Continue my education.
• Seek out the best and the brightest employees at every company, and learn from them.
• Make sure that my own standards for my work exceed those of my employer.
• Meet every deliverable on time and, preferably, under budget.
• Never, never, never miss a deadline.
• Always, always, always take gleeful, effective advantage of schedule slips. Ensure that every document I produce is complete, accurate, consistent, and meets the needs of the audience.
• View every assignment as an opportunity to learn something new."

"I would answer a request for volunteers, whether it be with the competitions or editing the newsletter or helping with new members, just jump in, do what you can, and you'll only gain. You meet the members and gain friends. It is strictly a win-win situation."

"Six years ago, I was working as an ISO 9001 coordinator for a small manufacturing company. I'd been in the position for more than four years, and I was bored and depressed with my job. Even though change has always been especially hard for me, I realized it was time to find something else. Soon after I started looking, I received an opportunity to work for a large corporation. After a month-long orientation in Texas, I would work remotely from home, and the job could involve some travel. The unknowns were overwhelming: Did I have the discipline to work at home? Could I work effectively over the phone and the computer? Could I handle travel? How would I form and maintain relationships with my manager, co-workers, and clients without seeing them face to face? Would I get lonely? I took the plunge. My first virtual team meeting was frightening. I couldn't keep track of who was speaking, and I was afraid to speak myself. However, a few weeks later I was nearly as comfortable participating over the phone as in person. I learned that as long as I have a deadline, I work more effectively at home than in an office, and I absolutely love not having to wear dress clothes, drive to work, or pack a lunch. Telecommuting is perfect for me. The only thing I would have done differently is to leave that ISO coordinator job earlier."

"I would still finish college and return to college for more education. I would choose to work in different high tech industries with various professionals, learn more about computers working in a highly advanced and technical IT department, and leave a permanent position to pursue work as an independent consultant/contractor."

"I enjoyed my career as a geologist and technical communicator because I worked with and mentored highly intelligent professionals in exciting businesses. Managing large projects in various industries required extensive technical communication and the ability to successfully communicate with many people at different levels. As an effective researcher and technical writer, I provided a considerable amount of technical communication before it was offered as an education major. I enjoyed returning to school at 39 as I concentrated more on studies than I did when I was younger. I still enjoy providing technical communication in whatever form it takes."

"I have learned that the shorter a document will be, the longer it will take to finish; not longer to write, but longer to finish."

"I would stay the same course if I had to do it all again, despite a few unpleasant moments in the grand scheme of things."

"I knew that I wanted to be a writer, but didn't know how to go about doing that. I was in financial services at the time, and my favorite part of my job was writing policies and procedures. My manager, who was a true mentor, advised me to finish my bachelor's degree and get an advanced degree in writing. I heeded her advice, and have never regretted my career change from banking to technical communication. In fact, my only regret is that I didn't make the change sooner."

Contributors: Ron Arner, Linda G. Gallagher, Anne C. Halsey, Karen Miller, Kathy Ramsey, Lynnette Reveling, Martha Sippel, Elizabeth W. Staton, and Frank Tagader.