Can You “Do” Both?
Craig of HelpScribe has an April 2008 post that I found fascinating:
Why We Become Technical Writers
http://www.helpscribe.com/2008/04/why-we-become-technical-writers.html
Although I posted a comment on how I entered the technical communication field, it’s one-dimensional. My favorite topic is to talk about those of us I call “Hybrids”… that is, professionals who demonstrate proven success in both the training/learning and technical writing fields.
Yes, it’s true: Some of us do both, we love both, and we’re successful in both. To help others who feel the “tug” into both professions, I’ve revised my comment posted at Craig’s blog to capture my “Hybrid” journey.
My Journey
Craig, I found your message on Techwr-L, and I enjoy hearing the stories of how people started their technical writing careers.
Me? I have been writing and teaching since I was a child. As a volunteer, I started “teaching” when I was in high school, and I come from an extended family of educators. In college, where I majored in Spanish and French, the Engineering Department offered a course in Technical Writing. I completed it with all As. When I approached my professor for her help in starting my technical communication career, she replied:
“You can’t be a technical writer, you’re a humanities major!”
I believed her. Although I lived in an area surrounded by IT companies and government contractors, I limped into financial services after graduating with my B.A. My new managers noticed my writing and training talents. They helped me transition into writing policies and procedures, then into various Training Departments where they mentored me in both instructional design and ILT facilitation skills.
After some time, the Training gigs transitioned into writing print and online documentation for intranets, extranets, and Web-based applications. I felt a tremendous enjoyment with working “on the Web”, so I added some Web development skills (HTML, Dreamweaver) to my tool box. To make a long story short, through blessings and being in the right place at the right time, I am now a happy e-learning designer and developer, and I still use my technical writing skills to create job aids, quick-start guides, manuals, and more.
I love what I do, and taking “the path less traveled” only added to my knowledge, skills, and abilities or achievements. And my clients benefit from my “Hybrid” skills.
One word of advice to “Hybrid” career seekers: follow your heart. Invite learning specialists and technical communicators out for coffee, lunch, or dinner and interview them. Attend local ASTD and STC chapter meetings and ask the members about their jobs.
Stay away from the “anti-Hybrid” nay-sayers who discourage you, and build a personal community of career cheerleaders and supporters. Some of us are born to be “Hybrids”.
If what you read and hear about our professions gets your heart pumping, do everything you can to get your first instructional design and/or technical writer job.
You’ll be so glad you did, and you’ll never look back.
Good luck!
I disagree that the combination of technical writing and instructional design is a “hybrid” career. I have been both an instructional designer and a technical writer. As an instructional designer I have produced multi-media and text-based training for software. As a technical writer I have produced multi-media and text-based training for software.
I don’t see a distinction between “training” and “educational writing.” Like you, at the moment, I am instructional designer for online courses. I also write job aids and do live software training. Both tasks are all in a day’s work. Instructional designers must write, and technical writers must design information for optimal learning.
[Jenise adds... Here are some replies I received via e-mail messages or via LinkedIn.com My thanks to all who commented.]
Blane Warrene said:
“This was a good thought. Multiple hats can be a good thing!”
Shawn Leonard:
“The blog is interesting and I agree.”
Scott Lindstrom:
“There is one “hybrid” that I believe has mixed results. The ID & stand-up trainer. I’ve seen it succeed and explode. It’s hard to find people who can do both equally as well.”
John Luttrell (http://www.BasisMedia.com):
“And, thank you for the article. I really enjoyed it. I count myself as a definite Hybrid with my roots in technology, which pulled me into technical training. I never really switched into technical writing, but instead did both interchangeably. And, I’m also a Media-Hybrid with part of my roots firmly planted in music and entertainment media creation, which crosses over into multimedia creation for training and communication. I think it’s been my formula for success through many turbulent times. Definitely a rocky road ahead, so let’s hope that hold true for both of us.”
Great post, Jenise. (And thanks very much for mentioning my HelpScribe post.)
I completely agree that a “hybrid” set of skills can be a great way to land a fulfilling job. Technical writing departments can only benefit when employees bring new skills into the mix. For example:
* Marketing (to convey to users why they should read help content)
* Graphic design (because images are sometimes better than words)
* Customer service (now that tech writers are moving into Web 2.0 roles)
Writing skills are essential, but it’s the additional skills that allow a writer to stand out and find a niche.
I really enjoyed your story! (Especially the “through blessings” part, because hard work alone doesn’t account for the success and happiness I’ve found in the technical writing field.)
Great blog!
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