While the field of usability has existed for decades, the number and quality of careers in the field have greatly improved in the last 10-15 years. The long-term prognosis for the industry is good: there are constant opportunities in almost every industry since new products and technology come out all the time, in usability as well as user-centered design, interaction design and user experience design.
#19726
I started by saying that I wish to make everyone a technical writer. But I think I have taken the easy way out and am saying everyone is a technical writer. Welcome to technical writing!
Kamath, Gurudutt R. ITpeople (2000). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing
#23608
If you're having difficulty as a technical communicator finding the right career advancement path, then you're not alone; many technical communicators struggle with the problem of controlling their careers. It sometimes appears easier to let others make decisions about where, for whom, on what and how you work. Technical communicators often go 'where the work is' rather than assess the dynamics of the marketplace and determine where they can add the most value. The reality is that you have the power to control your own career and that you can make conscious decisions, build a plan based on those decisions and implement that plan. As a technical communicator, you can use the same skill set that entrepreneurs use to take advantage of the marketplace and to create the career opportunities that you want.
Simmons, Laurel R. STC Proceedings (2003). Careers>TC
#31927
Are You Job Hunting or Job Fishing?
Landing the best jobs, like snagging the best fish, takes hard work and patience.
Fiske, Peter. Science (2000). Careers>Interviewing
#27835
Are You Prepared for Unpredictable Business Losses?
Freelancing is business. Loss from unexpected problems, such as a robbery, is a business loss, not a reflection of who you are.
Maislin, Seth A. Editorial Freelancers Association (1995). Careers>Freelance
#24217
Lights! Action! Sound! There's a certain mystique associated with the design and development of multimedia. A multimedia developer is not quite a movie director, but.... If you're a technical writer, you may already have considered multimedia as a career option, but you may not know what's involved or how to get started. Having the information you need always makes a change easier, so perhaps this information will help you make that career move!
Currie, Cynthia C., Carmie Boutin and Linda Mandra. STC Proceedings (1999). Careers>Multimedia>Technical Writing
#13528
Are You Ready for the E-lance Economy? 
According to an analysis conducted by Daniel Pink, former speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore and contributor to Fast company magazine, approximately 25 million Americans are self-employed, independent contractors, or temporary employees. This means more than 16% of the U.S. workforce is working for themselves. While this is a significant statistic, it begs the question, is this a temporary trend or are we in the midst of a historic transition in the way we work?
Florzak, Douglas. Technical Communication Online (2002). Careers>Freelance
#19564
The Art of Selling: Your Sales Techniques Must Fit the Product and the Times
A successful marketing representative shares her secrets on proven ways to sell writing consulting services.
Olive, Jo-Anne. Writer's Block (1996). Careers>Consulting>Marketing
#24707
The Art of the Developer Resume
Resumes may seem like something of a mundane topic, but after spending the last few weeks wading through resumes from software developers, it is clear to me that most developers need help with their resumes. This impression is backed up by many past resume reading experiences. While I have come across very few truly awful resumes, the majority of the resumes I have read in the last week have been substandard. Only a few have been what I would call really well done.
Read, Daniel. developer.star (2001). Careers>Resumes>Programming
#21239
As the Paradigm Shifts: Skills Technical Communications Will Need in the Coming Ice Age 
Forces are converging in the mid-90's that threaten to change the shape of technical communication forever. This paper-attempts to examine a few important manifestations of the coming ICE age (Information, Communication, Entertainment): business pressures to shrink documentation; a manifesto to move from paper to online documentation; a growing emphasis on making the user successful; a convergence of documentation and training; and the explosion of multimedia/interactive media. This paper then predicts what new skills technical communicators must develop in order to remain marketable -- and grasp opportunity -- during this period of great change.
Cheirrett, Peg A. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>TC
#18803
Ashes or Phoenix? Technical Communication or Information Design?
The results of a study of 28 New Zealand technical communicators show that practitioners in this country are undergoing the same role redefinition as their colleagues in the US. New Zealand practitioners are no longer just 'wordsmiths' but are using a wide range of multimedia skills to design and produce user-ready information products. Practitioners were interviewed to find out what their roles were, how their roles had changed and what skills they believed were essential to be a successful technical communicator. The results revealed a group of highly motivated problem solvers and a profession that is evolving to use the core competencies of information design with new strength and energy.
Reynolds, Alison. STC Proceedings (2002). Careers>TC>Regional>New Zealand
#10003
This site hosts a database of current faculty positions available in TC departments around the US.
#19164
The STC Austin chapter conducts a salary survey each year. If the survey is in progress, you can download a survey here. The most recent results are always posted here.
#23556
Avenues to a Career in Scientific Communication
Scientific communication (SC) covers science, medicine, and technology. Its documentation format ranges from research papers and regulatory-agency submissions to educational/ training materials and reference guides. This panel discussion addresses issues for those entering the area of scientific communication or wishing to enhance their skills in this area.
Armbruster, David L., Nancy E. Davis, Alice L Philbin and Jim J. Walsh. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>Scientific Communication
#29739
Avoiding Client/Contractor Nightmares: Best Practices for Contractor Management
You've secured the budget to produce some badly needed, high visibility deliverables. Part of that budget includes funding for contractors. To help manage and guide the communications between your contractors, your staff, and your management, you want to use your company's best practices. The best practices of the contractor or provider firm you employ should closely match your own company's best practices. Beginning on the "same page" will eliminate headaches and expenses during the lifecycle of the project. A quick comparison of practices and procedures enables you to proceed with the project confident that you are using competent outside resources.
Michaels, Sherry, Maggie Haenel, Ann Backhaus. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>Project Management>Consulting
#19687
Technical writers live in a state of anxiety. They are charged with creating a work within a specific time period, but they depend on the cooperation of subject-matter experts (SMEs) over whom they have no control.
McKelvey, Paul S. Intercom (2003). Careers>Writing>Collaboration>SMEs
#19840
Information development organizations are under increasing pressure to implement single-sourcing or other automated and highly structured document development processes. Forces driving this trend include translation requirements, niche marketing, the convergence of software and documentation, and shrinking cycle times and budgets. Initially, these changes threaten to remove everything that is challenging and interesting about the technical writer’s work. However, technical writers who successfully adapt to this new environment will find more opportunity than ever to use their analysis and writing skills and to develop additional negotiation and process management capabilities.
Guthrie, Melissa L. STC Proceedings (2000). Careers>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Technical Writing
#20267
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Independent Contracting
With the decline of employer loyalty to employees and the move to outsource peripheral functions, many technical communicators are exploring the possibility of becoming an independent contractor. Although much emphasis has been given to marketing and negotiation skills, there are pitfalls awaiting the entrepreneur who leaps before looking. Among these pitfalls for former corporate employees are structuring time and dealing with isolation. Success as an independent is measured by how well he/she deals with these intangible issues.
Smith, Gem. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Consulting>Contracts
#14955
The Basics of the Entity Alphabet©
Has anyone told you something that sounded like 'I folded my S-Corp into a C-Corp, then transferred the shares to an LLC that was the GP of an LLP'? It used to be easy. You were either a corporation, partnership, or if only one owner, sole proprietorship. Nowadays, the proliferation of choice of entities for even small, single-owner businesses can be daunting. While it can all be very confusing, all of this alphabet jargon boils down to two basic issues: taxation and liability. In the old days, you could only have limited liability if you were taxed as a corporation and could only be taxed as a partnership if you had full liability. Now the two issues have been separated, giving modern business owners the full range of possibilities. Let's take a look at how these two issues have been dealt with and what concessions business owners have wrestled out of the IRS in the last 20 years with the introduction of the Limited Liability Company (LLC).
Jurney, Thomas F. STC Williamette Valley (2002). Careers>Management>Legal
#26455
The BayCHI Job Bank is a service that enables local employers to publish job openings to the members of BayCHI. The job bank connects the BayCHI members, who are professionals in the Human-Computer Interaction field, with job openings in the local HCI industry. Bay Area employers may submit descriptions for jobs that are relevant to our membership to the job bank at no charge.
ACM SIGCHI (2005). Careers>Job Listings>Human Computer Interaction>California
#23613
To attain your career goals, you cannot simply go to work and perform the assigned projects, allowing your manager direct your professional path for you. You must treat your working life much like you treat a documentation project and be deliberate. Take charge of your progress by volunteering to complete projects that challenge and advance your capabilities. Plan and prepare for challenging opportunities that provide you with new work experiences; identify and execute tasks that advance your skills, knowledge, and abilities; and evaluate your career development, results, and your accomplishments with each enterprise you complete.
Swindle-Troell, Elizabeth F. STC Proceedings (2003). Careers>TC>Planning>Volunteering
#22604
There has been a tremendous growth in the software industry and some growth in technical writing. Most of my columns ten years ago were rants about the poor state of our manuals and our software. Today, I think the humblest of companies is producing great stuff. The reason for it is simple--globalisation and the Internet.
Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing
#31140
Becoming a Freelance Technical Writer
If you're considering a move to the contract side of the fence, you might want to think about the questions in this blog post before making a decision.
DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Freelance>Writing>Technical Writing
#21793
Becoming a Technical Communicator
So you want to be a technical communicator? Here are some pointers to get you started.
Info Action (2004). Careers>TC
#10093
Becoming a Technical Writer in Three Easy Steps 
If you are considering a career change, you should become familiar with the potential requirements and compensation. Knowing as much as you can about a profession can help you decide if it is appropriate for you. This book is intended for beginning and would-be technical writers.
Kolunovsky, Nina. STC Toronto (1996). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing
#13613
Becoming a Usability Professional
To reach the goal of making technology truly suited for humans, the world will need about half a million new usability professionals over the next 20 years. The sooner their training begins, the better off we'll all be. People frequently ask me what it takes to become a usability professional and get a job in the field. The answer lies in characteristics that all great usability professionals share.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2002). Careers>Usability
