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.
#21740
Becoming an Information Architect 
The birth, development and launch of an engaging, well-designed Web site starts with an idea and a vision. Beyond that, detailed planning and organization, open communication among team members and a common goal bring the idea to fruition. And information architects play a key role in that process.
Cohen, Sacha. Monster.com (2004). Careers>Information Design
#30351
Becoming InfoWranglers: New Career Ladders and Competencies for Technical Communicators
The emergence of the web has accelerated the convergence of marketing communications, training, and technical communication. Marketing communicators are increasingly producing users' guides, trainers are producing wizards and marketing materials. Technical communicators are producing tutorials and pre-sales literature.
Carliner, Saul. Boston Broadside (2000). Careers>TC
#25370
Becoming Your Own Boss: 10 Points to Ponder Before You Unplug
Starting your own business is the dream of many. Is it really right for you though? Here are 10 points to consider carefully before you take the plunge.
Bucqueroux, Bonnie. Wise-Women (2004). Careers>Freelance
#19550
Becoming Your Own Corporation: Boon or Bust?
Writers today are being advised to stop thinking in terms of building a life-long career with one employer, and instead view themselves as a one-person corporation offering specialized services to whomever is willing to pay the highest price.
Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2000). Careers>Freelance>Consulting
#26725
The Beginner's Guide to Freelance Writing
You have to stand out from the crowd. You have to sparkle. How do you do this? Simple. It all starts with The Big Idea.
Glatzer, Jenna. Klariti (2005). Careers>Freelance>Writing
#20282
A Beginner's Guide to Managing a Localization Project 
Managing a localization process utilizes and tests all the skills of good project management: planning, team-building, and scheduling. A successful localization project requires a commitment by management to allow time for the team to develop the necessary plans and processes to produce a quality product. For the publications manager, choosing the right translation service can be a project in itself. Comparing the core competencies of translation companies with the requirements of the documentation project is an important first step before selecting a translation service.
Packer, Phebe and Lelanie Hellmer. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>Management>Localization
#29741
Behavior-Based Performance Expectations
Many organizations document job-oriented expectations for their employees and tend to leave behavior-based performance criteria to the individual managers. Or, they may lump so many different jobs into a single performance criteria definition that that definition becomes meaningless for any individual group. In this paper we will discuss the difference between job-oriented expectations and behavior-based performance expectations. We will describe the process we used to create our performance expectations and will show some examples.
Crawford, Vanadis, Angela Pitts, Rosalind Radcliffe and Leah Ann Seifert. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>TC>Case Studies
#24764
Benchmarking: A Practical Guide
Using benchmarking, a company compares its processes with another best-practice company to improve the way it does business. The panelists, who have participated in several benchmarking projects, explain the benchmarking process and offer practical, real-world advice on how to do successful benchmarking.
Caldanaro, Regina M., Barbara Isa, and Lawrence D. Kunz. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>Management>Project Management
#23605
Benefits and Pitfalls of Coaching Employees
Successful managers increasingly use coaching to help employees improve performance. Coaching is a better model than counseling because it presupposes that the employee is capable of making improvements. Coaching also helps maintain a good relationships between the manager and employees. However, coaching cannot be a 'pure' coaching relationship when the manager has supervisory responsibilities for the employee. Still, successful coaching can result in a win/win outcome for both the employee and the company, even in a problem situation.
Agnew, Beth. STC Proceedings (2003). Careers>Mentoring
#28751
The Benefits and Pitfalls of Mentoring
A mentoring program encourages employees; can target potential managers and specific employees who need assistance; facilitates implementation of corporate strategies; requires a coordinator to administer the program, usually a person found within HR who spends no more than 1 day per week on mentoring activities.
Bailey, Elizabeth. STC Proceedings (2006). Careers>Mentoring>TC
#23604
Benefits and Pitfalls of Mentoring
Choosing a mentor or mentee can be a powerful moment in your professional life. Making the mentoring relationship work is not always easy and requires time and dedication from both parties. This article will define and explore the mentoring relationship, listing key factors for success.
Mason, Catheryn L. and Elizabeth Bailey. STC Proceedings (2003). Careers>Mentoring
#25156
The Benefits of a Buddy for the Solo Designer
Are you a home-based studio or freelancer? The benefits are many for the solo designer, but feeling isolated can spell trouble.
Bertucci, Janet and Julianne Nardone. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Careers>Graphic Design>Collaboration
#14727
The Benefits of Having a Mentor
In the first article of a new section of Intercom devoted to students, Brown recounts her experience as a novice technical writer relying on a mentor for professional guidance.
Brown, Alison. Intercom (2001). Careers>Collaboration>Mentoring
#27320
Best Jobs in America 2006: Technical Writing
Money Magazine and Salary.com rate careers on salary and job prospects. Technical writing comes in as the thirteenth best career in America.
#13914
Beyond Foucault: Toward a User-Centered Approach to Sexual Harassment Policy 
Our current national policy regarding sexual harassment, expressed through legal, economic, and popular discourses, exemplifies the Foucauldian paradigm in its attempt to regulate sexuality through seemingly authorless texts. Arguing that regulation through such discursive technologies need not lead to the effects of domination that Foucault recognized, I propose a user-centered approach to policy drafting that values the knowledge of workers as users and makers of workplace policy.
Ranney, Frances J. Technical Communication Quarterly (2000). Careers>Management>Policies and Procedures>Sexual Harassment
#31303
Beyond Return on Investment: Managing Communication Systems as Business Assets
As communicators, we are increasingly under the gun to demonstrate the return on investment for our work. But using ROI formulas that attempt to pin down hard financial gains may actually reduce our potential credibility and influence. There's a new language and strategy for communicators that can help us move from being messengers to managers of corporate assets.
Gayeski, Diane. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Careers>Management>Financial>ROI
#13553
The lives and antics of the housemates of the reality TV show Big Brother may have drawn our attention, but do we need to concern ourselves with the activities of a real Big Brother? Has George Orwell’s vision of electronic surveillance and mind control come true in the new millennium? Many people believe that Big Brother is alive and well and coming to a computer network near you. In fact, he could already be living with you in your office, watching your every move on the Internet. their rights by monitoring their employees: They need to ensure that their employees are not wasting time browsing adult Web sites, or sending and receiving personal e-mail. Hence the proliferation of sophisticated server software, which can perform all manner of filtering tasks automatically.
Archee, Raymond K. Intercom (2002). Careers>Workplace>Privacy
#19199
An hypothetical example of interpersonal communication issues which may arise in the workplace. Tad had sketched a layout to the wrong scale, so you called him in for what you thought would be a straightforward conversation. But instead of agreeing to make the changes, he stiffened a bit, then said, 'I've been working on this account for three years, and I know how these people work. They're going to futz around with this for a few days, and then tell you they want it the way I've done it. Believe me, it'll save a lot of time and money if we just go with it as is.' What can you do to get Tad's co-operation now, and to keep it in the future? And what might you have done differently to prevent this conflict?
#30716
Bill Gates' Last Day At Microsoft
Bill Gates gave his last keynote at the 2008 CES show in Las Vegas and he started it out with a spoof of what his last day might be like and includes cameos from a number of Microsoft executives and some Hollywood stars, celebrities and politicians. This video is just an excerpt of the longer keynote.
Catalyze (2007). Careers>Workplace>Multimedia
#10019
Learn about biomedical writing and biomedical writers, what they are doing at various stages of their careers, and what their interests are.
Vélez, Lili Fox. Earthlink (1999). Careers>Scientific Communication>Biomedical
#14685
Biotechnology: Opportunities for Technical Communicators
Tanrikulu describes the opportunities and professional requirements for technical communicators seeking employment in the biotechnology industry. The article includes a list of Web sites where readers can seek more information.
Tanrikulu, Marta. Intercom (2001). Careers>Scientific Communication>Biomedical
#22002
Body Count: Why Moving to India Won't Really Help IT
There was a story in the news a couple weeks ago about how IBM was planning to move thousands -- perhaps tens of thousands -- of technical positions to India. This isn't just IBM, though. Nearly every big company that is in the IT outsourcing or software development business is doing or getting ready to do the same thing. They call this 'offshoring,' and its goal is to save a lot of money for the companies involved because India is a very cheap place to do business. And it will accomplish that objective for awhile. In the long run, though, IT is going to have the same problems in India that it has here. The only real result of all this job-shifting will be tens of thousands of older engineers in the U.S. who will find themselves working at Home Depot. You see, 'offshoring' is another word for age discrimination.
Cringely, Robert X. PBS (2003). Careers>Management>Outsourcing>Offshoring
#20953
It's not been easy for art directors and graphic designers to maintain a career amidst rapidly changing technology and design trends.
Shinn, Nick. ShinnType (2001). Careers>TC>Typography>Graphic Design
#28943
Listings about open positions for user experience designers, web designers, information architects, user-centered design and similar positions.
Boxes and Arrows. Careers>Job Listings>User Experience>User Experience
#26021
Breaking into Corporate Editing
For many companies 'information' is their most important product. Forget the myth of the paperless office; most offices are flooded with research reports, studies, white papers, marketing surveys, analyses, annual reports, reviews -- enough paper to consume a small rainforest.
Allen, Moira. Writing World (2001). Careers>Editing
