October/November 2003

Volume 44, Number 2

The good, the bad, and the reality of being a technical communicator

by Edward Ellis

I have heard a lot of negative comments and opinions concerning our profession recently from our STC Chapter techcomm-discussion group. Some recent examples have focused on the lack of job opportunities, layoffs, technical communications positions being sent to India, decline in pay, and that some co-workers do not view us as value-added contributors.

These discussions on the list-serve prompted me to ask the question: "Would you encourage or discourage someone you know who was considering a career as a technical communicator?" I asked for candid and honest opinions and in return promised anonymity to those who responded. The responses were insightful and evenly divided between the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The good

"I would without question encourage someone to join this field if that is their area of interest and expertise," one member responded. "I think much of the negative going around is due to the current Colorado job market. I think people are tending to accept jobs or contracts that they aren't especially thrilled with because they don't see much alternative. This naturally results in general dissatisfaction with their career."

"I would bet that if we were to listen in on discussion groups among almost any other aspect of information technology right now, we would hear very similar stories. It is fairly basic human nature to grouse about our lot in life and about our jobs. When we feel trapped in positions that we might not have chosen in a boom economy, we tend to need more outlets for venting our frustration."

"I'm of "that age" where I've experienced many economic cycles, changing trends in hiring, changing business practices, pay, and differing attitudes toward technical communications. I find that I've lived through them all and am still in the biz, I still find it rewarding and challenging, and I wouldn't trade a day of it!"

Another member responded that they would recommend technical writing as a profession if the person entering the field can get passionate about information, accurately and appropriately presented. "The world is noise and technical communicators are the "thin blue line" between chaos and clarity. While the world, including journalists, dance with chaos, technical communicators pine only for clarity," he said.

The lengthiest response came from a woman who was laid off and started her own business. She said that technical communications is a good profession, and it is possible to make money in the current economy, even though the recent economy has placed a damper on the job market. She goes on to say that it is human nature to grouse about our less than ideal situation and offers the following advice:

• Stop whining and start problem solving. If you are having trouble finding a job, broaden your search and expand your geographic area (by industry and location), develop new skills, advertise existing skills, and look for opportunities that may not be titled as technical writer/editor.
• Attitude is everything. You can have the best technical skills in the world, but if you go into an interview with a schlep rock cloud over your head, no one is going to hire you. If you've been laid off, try to look at this as an opportunity to try something new, to renew yourself.
• Be proactive and professional. Don't expect potential employers to come to you; seek them out--assertively and professionally.
• Educate folks about what you do and are capable of. If people get a glazed look in their eye when you tell them what you do, don't retreat--educate them.
• Look at the industry trends and figure out how to apply your existing skills in new ways. Don't wait for someone to tell you that you need to move to XML.
• Learn how what you do impacts your company's bottom line and then educate your managers.
• Look at the big picture. Don't get so caught up in the day-to-day minutiae of your job that you lose sight of the big picture.
• If you are currently between jobs, use the time to take classes and build skills, volunteer, try something completely new and teach. Regroup and be kind to yourself. Make this a time of gainful unemployment. Above all, get off the pity pot and do something--it doesn't matter what--any decision (even if you fail) is better than no decision.

The bad

"I have been in the technical writing field for 25 years," wrote one member. "Up until two years ago, I would have recommended the field to others who have an interest in technology and also an interest and ability in writing. I learned many tools over the years and do not consider the tools to be a major part of the job. For the past two years, there have been almost no jobs in the field in the metro area. At first, I thought this situation was short-term and, surely, the jobs would return. At this time, I think other factors are at work and do not expect the jobs to return in the numbers that always seemed to exist in the past. I just completed a contract recently at a large company that was beginning to send tech writing jobs offshore. They expect this trend to pick up next year. Personally, I will start looking, and retraining if need be, for another career. It's nice to tell people to get into the field if that's where there interests are, but most people also need to eat and pay the mortgage."

Another member responded, "I would not encourage a young person to seek technical communications for a career if he or she desires to work in the software industry. Also, I would discourage them to enter the profession if they thought that technical communication offers a high salary."

This member said that within two years, more than 50 percent of her company's software development will be done in India where they can hire four writers for the cost of one here. All software projects are being shortened to be four-month cycles and if the team cannot make the deadline established by management than the entire team is fired.

"I just completed a product delivery in which I worked some horrific hours. I had no holidays since Easter and worked all but two weekends during the project. I do not think I could encourage someone to enter a workforce in which they will work extremely hard with significant personal sacrifice and, yet, have no job security. In talking with several senior writers (50+ age group who span from the East Coast to the West Coast), everyone is trying to position themselves to retire, to transition into another profession, or to open a small business within the next two years."

The reality

"From a personal standpoint," wrote a member, "I think I would feel honor-bound at least to warn them that tech writer jobs are a little thin on the ground at the moment. I have been looking for a tech writer position since I got laid off two years ago, and haven't found one yet. I wouldn't necessarily want to put them off, if that's what they really want to do, but they should have realistic expectations of the job market and the difficulty in finding a position."