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Breaking Into Technical Communication
By Kathy Graden, Senior STC Member, Phoenix Chapter

Special thanks to Kathy Graden from the Phoenix Chapter for sharing this great article, originally published in the February 2001 Rough Draft. It nicely complements our feature, Jumping From Journalism.

When STC members attend parties or family gatherings and especially when we greet guests at our monthly chapter meetings, we're often asked, "How did you get started in technical communication?" Others ask, "How can I break into the field as a technical writer (or illustrator, Web developer, etc.)? I'd like to, but I don't have a technical background."

Well, guess what? Though some technical communicators start out as programmers or engineers, many people in our profession aren't former software or hardware geeks. A large number of people have left behind short- or long-term careers in a broad range of fields, such as teaching, music, medicine, and anthropology, to become developers of art, online documents, and publications that help people understand how technology works.

What motivates people to want to break into technical communication? The reasons are as different as the men and women who make the move.

One woman I know took up technical writing because, despite a wonderful voice, she wasn't making enough money as a rock singer to afford more than an occasional pizza. Other friends became technical communicators to escape the only career that guidance counselors used to recommend for women who were good with words: English teacher.

The man who gave me my first technical writing job gave up his dream of becoming an engineer because his girlfriend became pregnant during their senior year of college. The first job he could find was doing technical writing. Thirty years later, he's still happily writing, still married to the same woman but with several more kids. He never went back to complete his engineering degree.

Some people have more complex or unusual reasons for becoming technical communicators. In my case, it took a combination of a failed business venture, a wise brother-in-law, and a funny-smelling chicken suit.

More about that chicken suit later. The important things to remember if you want to become a technical communicator are:

• Technical skill or knowledge isn't all you need to succeed. You also need traits such as curiosity, flexibility, skill at organization and analysis, desire and ability to learn, and, of course, the ability to express yourself clearly.
  
  
• Many of the skills and habits you've gained from other jobs and activities transfer well to technical communication work.

This article briefly tells the story of several women who used their skills and experience from other jobs as springboards into successful technical communication careers.

The article also suggests some ways in which would-be technical communicators can prepare for their first jobs in the field.

From Sideline to Full-Time Profession

Irene Garcia's story demonstrates how skills gained in projects outside of work can lead to technical communication success. Twelve years ago, Irene was a secretary whose job taught her how to organize information and projects but offered little to stimulate her creative energies.

"As a sideline," Irene recalls, "I created a series of nonprofit publications called Marschild. I enlisted the help of writers, photographers, and artists to produce small books, posters, and postcards for a mailing list of more than 50 people.

"A position opened up in my employer's graphic design group. My manager and coworkers encouraged me to go for it. I put together a portfolio of my Marschild projects. This portfolio won me the position of entry-level graphic artist.

"While I worked in the Graphic Design Department, we began doing work for outside clients. These clients required copywriting for print ads, brochures, and sales letters. I was the only person in the group who could spell and communicate well in writing. So I wrote the copy. I enjoyed it and was good at it.

"Later, a job became available in the Documentation group. I prepared a variety of copywriting samples. Based on them and my interview, I was offered the job and a $6,000 raise. Not bad for a woman with no formal post-high-school education!

"Since then I have gone on to write documentation for two high-tech equipment providers in Arizona. One day, I was talking with two colleagues. Someone spoke a word and none of us was quite sure what it meant. Simultaneously, we all reached for our dictionaries. I knew then that I had arrived. I had found my place."

Teaching Yourself to Communicate

People with teaching experience often find the switch to technical communication easy. This is true not only for English teachers but also for those who have taught other subjects. All of the tricks and techniques teachers use to engage students' interest in subjects also work when you're communicating with customers and trying to provide materials that excite them about using your company's products.

Giovanna Patani is a technical writer in Phoenix whose teaching background prepared her well for the technical communication world. A New Zealander by birth, she began as an elementary school teacher in Europe, moved to Africa, and then branched out to teach English as a second language.

"It was great training for a technical writer," Giovanna says, "because the linguistics and grammar skills are excellent training both for understanding the logic of program code and for learning the techniques of being a better writer."

After her multilingual experiences, she found explaining concepts to product users in her native language—as well as translating the jargony language that engineers and programmers use—to be a much simpler task.

From Chicken Suit to Docu-Chick

Are you still unsure that someone with no technical training can have a successful technical communication career? I wasn't sure either 18 years ago. But I was frustrated enough with my work back then to try making the switch.

While still in college, I started working as a copywriter and editor for a small public relations company. A few years later, the company's owner retired and sold the business to a partnership of employees, including me.

I liked the writing and enjoyed interviewing clients and turning their words into press releases. But when the economy nosedived into recession and the company started to lose money, relationships among the partners curdled and the workplace atmosphere turned hostile. I began dreading coming to work.

Then one day, the local chapter of the American Cancer Society called us, frantic. They had planned to have a volunteer in a chicken suit walk around downtown handing out buttons that said, "Don't chicken out. Quit smoking today!" But the volunteer had called in sick and they had nobody short enough to wear the chicken costume. I'm 5'3", so you can guess the rest: I found myself standing on a street corner dressed in a felt beak and funny-smelling feathers.

As miserable as I already was in my job, the chicken suit convinced me that I was in the wrong career. I was relatively shy in those days and I thought (naively) that if I switched professions, I'd never embarrass myself in public again. (Little did I know!)

Shortly thereafter, my then husband and I went to Arizona to visit his brother, a technical writer for Motorola. When I told Bob how things were going at work, he immediately suggested that I switch to technical writing.

"I can't!" I protested. "You have a master's degree in electronics engineering. I know nothing about electronics or computers!"

"But you're bright, you learn quickly, and you know how to ask questions and analyze information," he shot back. "You can learn the technology. The important thing is, you're good at communicating clearly."

After returning home, I immediately enrolled in evening classes in computer programming at a local technical school. A year later, I had an associate's degree in computer science to go with my bachelor's degree in English—and my first technical writing job. The position was half secretarial chores and half writing, and it paid only $16,000 a year. But it was a start.

And I found that my brother-in-law was right. I was totally ignorant about the scientific principles behind my employer's automotive and chemical testing products, but the reporting and interviewing skills I had honed in public relations helped me to learn (as did hands-on practice with the products). In no time, I was developing and designing manuals from scratch.

Finding Mentors and Jobs

Finding an established technical communicator to be your mentor is a good first step for someone looking to break into the field. The more experienced your mentor, the more he or she can tell you about the benefits, challenges, pitfalls, and fun that are part of a technical communicator's typical day. Mentors and their network of contacts can also guide you toward job opportunities.

Many technical communicators feel flattered and excited when they are asked to be professional mentors, so don't be afraid to ask! If you don't know anyone well enough to ask, attend your local STC chapter's meetings and get acquainted.

Many companies offer summer internship positions, part-time internships, or both. Consult your local STC job bank to find out about available openings. You also may want to contact local companies to see if their technical communication groups are looking for entry-level trainees. Cold calling takes a little bravery, but it might produce the break you need. And don't underestimate the power of your personal network of family and friends; Uncle Joe or cousin Jackie may know someone who can help you fit into your first technical communication job.

Getting Training and Experience

These days, you can find training in technical communication skills through Web-based e-learning programs and at an increasing number of local colleges and universities. Public seminars and workshops, including those sponsored by STC, also are available in most parts of the country. Although companies' training budgets have dwindled in today's tight economy, if you're persuasive enough, you may be able to get your employer to cover at least part of the cost of growing your skills.

If you think you lack the skills to be a technical communicator or you just want to try the field on a small scale, volunteer opportunities can help you gain experience. For example:

• If you're interested in Web information development, offer to develop a Web site for your church, synagogue, or club.
  
  
• Volunteer to write materials for your family or a charity. One technical writer I know got her start editing fundraising literature for a group offering resources to her son and others challenged by Down's Syndrome. Another friend found her life's calling at age 9 when she helped her mother write down old recipes and compile them into a family cookbook.
  

Accumulating a Portfolio

The best way to demonstrate that you have what it takes to be a good technical communicator is to assemble a portfolio of documents you've written, illustrations you've created, or other documents you've developed. If you're a student, your portfolio can include class assignments. Your portfolio can also include schedules or procedures you've developed. (They show off your ability to organize and manage projects.)

The challenge of breaking into a new career can be difficult, but the potential rewards are great. Good luck in your transition, and remember that no matter where you start, you control where you end up.