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.
#23702
Breaking into Technical Writing 
I'm not ashamed to admit it: the reason I became a technical writer is because 'Technical' comes after 'Teacher' in the help-wanted ads.
Johnson, Carol Siri. MetroVoice (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing
#20283
This panel explores what corporate leaders in the Technical Communications field consider the hottest topics in the industry today.
Conklin, John James, Judith L. 'Judy' Glick-Smith, George Hayhoe, Thomas B. Hoyt and Deborah Rosenquist. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>TC>Knowledge Management>Localization
#25529
Breaking out of the Cubicle: How a Small, Swiss Company Got its Groove On
In the mid-1990s, Makiko Itoh and her partner left New York's cubicle land for a web shop of their own in the suburbs of Zurich. Learn from her tips on running your own web agency.
Itoh, Makiko. List Apart, A (2001). Careers>Management>Web Design
#19556
How to tell your client the truth even when a project isn't working out as planned.
Holland, Anton. Writer's Block (1995). Careers>Freelance>Consulting
#19678
I love my job but don’t feel the managers think it’s important, partly because of the noise. I also sometimes feel that I’m just an ISO requirement. I’ve also heard from techs that customers don’t look at the manuals; they just put them on a shelf. Any thoughts?
Alroy, Faye. Intercom (2003). Careers>Workplace>Writing>Technical Writing
#27254
Though the term 'agile' isn't often ascribed to the ways of software configuration management, Steve Berczuk offers some ways in which applying the principles of agile SCM can help teams work more effectively.
Berczuk, Steve. StickyMinds (2006). Careers>Project Management>Agile
#22571
Broaden Your Horizons: Enhance Your Image and Value 
Proposes ways that technical communicators can broaden their skill sets while improving their visibility and reputations within their organizations.
Russell, Karen Golden. Intercom (2004). Careers>Education>Continuing
#19949
Technical communicators are accustomed to being thrown into the breech when their employers or clients confront severe business challenges. Rather than rush into the fray, we stand a better chance of tilting the business outcomes in our companies’ or clients’ favor if we remain disciplined under fire. A good way to achieve that discipline is to structure the communications team in a manner best suited to collaborative ventures and then implement those ventures in an orderly process called integrated strategic communication. This workshop begins with a brief explanation of how the Communications Department at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control - Orlando (LMMFC-O) uses integrated strategic communication to defend the company’s existing business base or seek new business in the fiercely competitive defense industry. Workshop participants will work in teams to complete practical hands-on exercises applying the process of integrated strategic communication to scenarios involving pressing business/technical communication challenges.
Voss, Daniel W. and William C. Wiese. STC Proceedings (2001). Careers>Management>Collaboration
#19677
Buggy Whips, the Arch Deluxe, and Quality Improvement
Sometimes quality is not enough to ensure success. Do you know who made the world’s finest buggy whips? Neither do I. Doubtless the manufacturer continuously improved its product to a fare-thee-well, but once the automobile became popular, the market for buggy whips (to say nothing of the market for buggies) evaporated, and there was nothing to be done for it.
Jong, Steven F. Intercom (2003). Careers>TC>Assessment
#25572
Want a professional writing secret? Build your writing inventory. Unless you have an inventory, you have nothing to sell.
Booth, Angela. Digital-E (2003). Careers>Writing>Business Communication>Blogs
#25028
Building a Constituency Through Outreach
Since government agencies deal with all audiences represented in the population, a variety of communication strategies must be used. One example from work at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory serves to illustrate this point in reaching out to communicate environmental issues. In this example, interpersonal, community, mass media, and print communication all serve a vital role in building a constituency around one environmental issue.
Carter, Kathy E. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>TC>Environmental>Government
#19382
Building a More Effective Documentation Group
Suggests ten ways that managers of technical communicators can make their departments more efficient, effective, and valuable to their companies.
Smith, Susan E. Intercom (2003). Careers>Management>Documentation
#10066
Building a Technical Writing Portfolio
Technical writing is one of the few careers in which building a portfolio can be almost impossible. A technical writing portfolio is not limited by your experience, but by your imagination. And a good imagination is one of the things employers like to see in a technical writer.
Dodson, Linnea. Writer's Block (1999). Careers>Portfolios
#13710
Building Blocks to a Body of Knowledge for User-Centered Design: To Certify or Not to Certify
For the past nine months the Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) participated in a project to investigate the feasibility of certifying usability (or user-centered design) professionals. The project was kicked off in Salt Lake City last November when a group of people from many organizations, countries and associations met for three days. That meeting ended with a sense of enthusiasm for creating a certification program based on the international standard for a human-centered design process, ISO 13407. The group planned activities to survey professionals to determine the level of support for certification, and to understand the benefits and drawbacks seen by stakeholders.
Quesenbery, Whitney. Usability Interface (2002). Careers>Certification>Usability>Body of Knowledge
#14499
Building Bridges Between Marketing and Technical Publications Teams
One common myth in the corporate world is that technical publications and marketing departments are fundamentally at odds with each other. Some technical writers believe marketing publications are too adjective-laden and prone to hyperbole, while some marketing writers think tech publications are too dry and factual. Who's right? It's all a matter of perspective. Technical writers and marketing writers typically have different audiences and purposes for their publications. But once you get beyond the superficial differences, you'll see that both writing groups have more in common than is immediately apparent. Perhaps more important, both groups have a lot to offer each other.
Peruzzi, Brett. Society for Technical Communication (2002). Careers>Collaboration>Marketing
#31546
Building Successful Teams in the Midst of Transition
Some people seem to thrive on change. How do they do it? How do they manage change in a way that they not only survive, but also excel? They seem to make change work for them. Here are five essentials on how to take your team through times of transition. One of the most significant essentials for success during transition is teambuilding. Leaders who can challenge, motivate and empower their teams through change are successful.
McKee, Thomas W. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Careers>Management>Collaboration
#31828
Building the UX Dreamteam - Part 2
Skills in research, information architecture, interaction design, graphic design and writing define the recognized areas of User Experience design. However, there still remains much to discuss about what makes a UX team dreamy. Each UX Dreamteam has a finely tuned mix of skills and qualities, as varied as the environments in which they operate. Part two will address whether a person has the right ‘hard’ skills and ‘soft’ qualities like communication style, creativity and leadership ability to fit your particular organizational context. We’ll also touch on the quality of an individual’s personality that may or may not complement the others on your team.
Colfelt, Anthony. Boxes and Arrows (2008). Careers>Management>User Experience>Collaboration
#20496
Business Correspondence and Resumes
This chapter focus on business correspondence-general format and style for business letters as well as specific types of business letters.
McMurrey, David A. Io.com. Careers>Resumes>Writing>Business Communication
#20220
You've mastered Photoshop, Flash, PHP, CSS, XHTML and JavaScript; studied usability, accessibility, and information architecture; and can fake your way through XML. But there’s more to running a web business than that.
Kramer, Scott. List Apart, A (2002). Careers>Management>Web Design
#10356
Business Objectives: A Key Tool for Demonstrating the Value of Technical Communication Products 
Little has been written for technical communicators on how to identify the business goals of the projects we work on, or how to write those goals in observable, measurable terms. When we prepare goals in observable, measurable terms, we call these goals objectives. This article is intended to fill that gap. It first describes the challenges of setting business objectives for a project, next describes the three ways that a performance improvement program can contribute to the business performance of an organization, and then explains how to write a business objective. Finally, this article describes the benefits of writing business objectives.
Carliner, Saul. Technical Communication Online (1998). Careers>Writing>Business Communication
#28389
There's a lot more to being a successful web designer than designing good web sites. Your job is actually to satisfy your client. This section provides guidelines from our experience of running web agencies, which we hope will help you be more successful and more fulfilled.
Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2006). Careers>Web Design
#13574
The Business of Writing: How Do I Set My Rates?
Do you know how much what you do is worth? Very likely a lot more than you think. But how do you figure out how much to charge for a given job?
Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2001). Careers>Consulting>Pricing
#24180
Business Plans Build Good Business
Developing a business plan—without it, your independent practice will flounder.
Frick, Elizabeth G. 'Bette'. Intercom (2004). Careers>Management>Planning>Business Communication
#14595
Business Roundtable: Are You Ready to Grow Your Business? 
In 2001 and beyond, do you plan to be the boss? If you have the entrepreneurial itch, running your own business may be central to your career plan. What practical, professional and emotional pitfalls are in store? Four successful business owners share their experiences and discuss how to turn potential pitfalls into challenging, lucrative adventures.
Fredrickson, Lola, Sheila Jones, Stephanie L. Rosenbaum and Donna Sakson. STC Proceedings (2000). Careers>Management>TC
#19674
Business Web Sites for the Self-Employed: Part Two
What does it take to get a Web site running on the Internet? When you have a site that is ready for some real-life testing, you are ready to put the site up. Publishing a Web site is a three-step process: getting a domain name, choosing a host, and posting the site.
Fugate, Alice E. And Elizabeth A. 'Betsy' Frick. Intercom (2003). Careers>Freelance>Web Design
