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

Certification in Technical Communication    

The debate over certification of technical and professional communicators has occurred with periods of relative intensity and quiescence for more than twenty years. This article surveys the historical developments of the debate; describes the arguments for and against certification; surveys technical communication curricula and theoretical arguments for literacies, standards, and competencies; and examines various efforts to study certification, including a description of published documents regarding certification.

Turner, Roy K. and Charles Paine. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Careers>Certification>TC>Education

Continuing Education: The Key to Your Career  

Janicko offers suggestions for getting the most out of continuing education and argues that continual learning can bolster careers in technical communication.

Janicko, Raymond P. Intercom (2000). Careers>Education>Continuing

Developing a Successful, Low-Maintenance Internship Program  

EDS High Tech Publications has developed a successful, low maintenance internship program. The program was designed to meet the needs of all the participants. EDS cultivates a talent pool to hire from and provides training for their own employees. Interns develop jobs skills and gain experience. The schools establish ties with local professionals.

Smimov, Lynette L.. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Internships>Education

Different Names, Similar Challenges: What's Behind the Rumored Merger of Instructional Design and Technical Communication

Instructional designers increasingly find technical communicators in their territory, as technical communicators find instructional designers. Is this increasing contact merely a coincidence, or does it portend an evolutionary merger of the two fields?

Carliner, Saul. Saul Carliner Studio (2001). Careers>Education>Instructional Design

Enhancing Competence, Cooperation, and Confidence by Strengthening Communication Skills of Diverse Workers  

This article explains how strengthening communication skills of our diverse workers could enhance competence, cooperation, and confidence in the workplace. A study focusing on language barriers was used to emphasize how variations in communication can, if not handled properly, escalate into conflicts in the workplace. Findings from the study that negatively affect productivity: lack of adequate training, lack of awareness of the culture of diverse groups and the perception that some were being subjected to racism and stereotypes are discussed.

Nealy, Chynette and Amiso George. Association for Business Communication (2004). Careers>Business Communication>Discrimination>Education

Expand Your Career Plan  

Your professional development and the ultimate success of your career depend upon you alone. If you don’t want to be viewed as 'just another doe writer,' broaden your career plan by expanding your talents into areas that are important to your organization's goals.

Henderson, D.L., Bonnie J. Davis and Genie Vidal. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Education>Continuing

Four Tips for Professional Development  

Discusses how technical communicators can keep themselves marketable at a time when technologies and work environments are rapidly changing.

Dimick, Sharlyn A. Intercom (2002). Careers>Education>Continuing

From Classroom to Cubicle  

Identifies helpful courses and activities that can prepare students and new technical communicators for their duties in the workplace.

Johnson, Felicia R. Intercom (2002). Careers>Education>TC>Workplace

Idea Watch: A New Approach for your Professional Development  

Our field is young, yet great books and great ideas by technical communication gurus abound. How many of us, though, are steeped in these works? How many of us can intelligently discuss the great ideas and latest research? If new STC members ask us which authors constitute the foundation of our field, can we tell them? If so, have we read them cover to cover? Can we discuss ideas more? This paper presents the professional development programs that two STC members began in the fall of 1999. After realizing that their programs might be of interest to others, they formed a SIG called Idea Watch. In addition, they have informally polled numerous gurus and drawn up a list of “essential books.” This list is presented at the conclusion of this paper.

Hansen, Heidi and Jennifer Square. STC Proceedings (2002). Careers>Education>Professionalism

Learning by Teaching  

Bist argues that the best way for technical communicators to deepen their knowledge of their companyís product information is to teach it. Using examples from his own experience, he suggests how to prepare and teach a course on any professional subject.

Bist, Gary. Intercom (2000). Careers>Education

Learning from Our Students: Insights from Internships  

Wise teachers know how to learn from their students. This paper draws on the work-experience journals of graduate students in Northeastern University’s Masters in Technical and Professional Writing (MTPW) program. Written from 1993 through 1996, the journals provide insights from these internships so that we, the teachers, can better prepare future students for the world of technical communication.

Krupp, Marguerite. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Internships>Education

Making Professional Development Work for You  

Obtaining a degree and entering the workforce is not the end of the educational experience; it is the beginning of the Life-long process of professional development. Professional development benefits employees by helping them to progress and increase their worth to the company, and it benefits management by poviding them with more skilled and knowledgeable employees, Many opportunities are available to communicators, such as professional societies, conferences, seminars, books, and journals. Communicators, then, must seek out the opportunities, devise a professional develop-merit plan, overcome the obstacles, and then implement what they have learned.

O'Brien, Charles J. III and Russell B. Stoner. STC Proceedings (1993). Careers>Education>Continuing

Nurture Your Inner Expert  

Teich, STC's second vice president, advises technical communicators to develop in their professions by continuously setting goals and pursuing knowledge.

Teich, Thea. Intercom (2002). Careers>Education>Continuing

Professional Development Overview  

The Professional Development stem provides sessions on how to grow your 'on-the-job' and.'off-the-job' skills as technical communicators. We control our professional growth and development by continuous learning in and away from our workplaces. The Professional Development sessions during this conference will stimulate new and challenging ideas.

Caruso, Anthony. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Education>Professionalism

Training Technical Communicators for Management

Identifying management candidates and training technical communicators before they get promoted to management positions can make for a very smooth and successful transition for both the candidate and the organization.

Erber-Stark, Jessica. Writing Assistance (2006). Careers>Management>Education>Technical Writing

Training Techniques for Interns/New Hires in Information Technology  

This paper provides discussion and recommendations for designing and implementing an internship program for undergraduate students majoring in the computer science and/or information technology arenas. These same techniques can also be used to acclimate new hires to the technological environment within your company. The paper uses the internship program used by IBM’s Disbursements Application Support area (i.e., payroll and travel) as a reference and also discusses the importance of having enterprise-wide support in supporting interns and new hires. Throughout this paper, “intern” and “new hire” can be used interchangeably. Topics discussed in this paper include 1) Campus interviewing, 2) Assignment of technical mentors, and 3) Sample code for selected applications.

Maggiore, Jim. STC Proceedings (2002). Careers>Education>Mentoring

Web Expertise: Taking Your Knowledge to the Next Level

If your field is Web development, you've probably realized that it's not enough to know just one or two Web-related technologies. You know Java and XML? Fair enough, but to excel -- and market yourself as a true Web pro -- you've got to know a constellation of Web technologies. This is the Five-Acronym Rule: You've got to know at least five acronyms, and know them inside out, to advance in the field. So if you only know HTML and JavaScript, you're no Web pro. But if you know Java, COM, WAP, LDAP and SQL, you'll have a much easier time moving up.

Hoffman, Allan. Monster.com (2003). Careers>Education>Web Design

You Can Do More: Exploring the Edges of Your Skills and Talents

When the going gets rough, the rough get out of their ruts and get going. When the economy takes a turn for the worse and jobs are scarce, it's time to look beyond the skill set described in the standard résumé. It's time to brush off the dust and re-invent yourselves, to make your not-so-obvious skills shine in markets where we can find employment.

Hamer, Emma C. Hamer Associates (2003). Careers>Education>Continuing

Stepping into the Freelance World, Part 4: Educating Yourself

If we don’t learn, we wither. New trends, new tools and technologies, new techniques. Even just new skills for the job. Continuous education is a key to longevity in the world of technical communication. As a freelancer, though, getting educated can be a bit of a problem. While many full-time employees have access to at least some job-specific training paid for by their employers, freelancers must shoulder the costs themselves. And training isn’t always cheap. So, how do freelancers stay current and stay sharp? Here are a few suggestions.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2009). Careers>Freelance>Education

Turning User Experiences into Learning Experiences    

Savita Taylor talks about her journey from textile engineering to technical communication and beyond.

Taylor, Savita A. Intercom (2009). Careers>TC>User Experience>Education

Rethinking Job References: a Networking Challenge    

Can job references play an active role in shaping your career plans? Would you consider your references as part of your personal and professional network? Although most professionals may respond with a resounding 'Yes, of course!' to these questions, I realized that many of my students were skeptical about job references. To counter this, and to help improve their chances in the job market, I designed a multistep assignment that expanded students' understanding of job references and required them to identify persons who were potential job references and members of their career network. This article provides the details for the assignment.

Muir, Clive. Business Communication Quarterly (2009). Careers>Resumes>Collaboration>Education