Your Career Concerns: Discovery and Discussion  

After completing a short checklist to identify their career stage, participants break into groups with individuals in the same career stage. Participants then have the opportunity to examine multiple perspectives, share concerns, identify issues, obtain peer feedback and identify short- and long-term goals associated with their career stage. An understanding of one's current career state is the starting point for managing a career. Through self-assessment, peer interaction, and guided discussion, this interactive session will allow participants a chance to reflect on their career directions.

Philbin, Alice I., Paulette R. Elsass, Todd E. Theodore, and Ann Marie Ryan. STC Proceedings (1993). Careers>TC

Deduct Your STC Dues

Since you pay taxes in the United States, keep in mind that STC dues are tax deductible. Please note, however, that dues must be deducted from the tax return filed for the year in which they were paid. In other words, dues paid in 2005 may be deducted only from 2005 tax returns. Therefore, if you paid your 2006 dues on or before December 31, 2005, these dues can be deducted only from your 2005 return.

STC Phoenix (2006). Careers>TC>Financial

STC 2007 Salary Database  

Drawing on data drawn from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), the Salary Database provides more reliable data collected at a much finer level of detail than was possible with STC’s old survey.

STC (2007). Careers>TC>Salaries

Explaining the Value of Technical Communication on the Job Search  

This presentation will provide techniques technical communicators can use to sell themselves to prospective employers who don't understand what technical communicators can do for them.

Castner, Joanna. STC Atlanta (2005). Careers>Interviewing>TC

Dealing With Professional Burnout

The emotional components of burnout are trickier to deal with. By the time they start becoming noticeable to those around us, the core issues are so deeply rooted that the feelings can be difficult to overcome:

Potsus, Whitney Beth. TechCom Manager (2005). Careers>TC

Making the Transition From Tech Comm to Marcom

At first glance, technical communication (techcom) and technical marketing communication (marcom) appear to be very different genres. Where traditional techcom strives to help people use products, marcom seeks to make people realize they need products. Techcom instructs, while marcom persuades, and this distinction affects everything from the genre’s focus, to its content, and medium.

Simard, Christy. TechCom Manager (2004). Careers>TC>Business Communication>Marketing

Making the Transition from Technical Writer to Manager

This article is a collage of ideas and experiences from some people who’ve made the leap from writer to manager. Although it’s not a step-by-step guideline, it provides some compelling insight as to what individuals might expect as they transition into the management ranks. Even if you are an experienced manager, you might find these ideas helpful.

Capri, Steve. TechCom Manager (2004). Careers>Management>TC

Job Hunting in a Recession    

Being unemployed can be very stressful and difficult—but being unemployed during a recession can be even worse. Molisani gives his tips and advice on how to weather the storm, and what steps you can take to find a job.

Molisani, Jack. Intercom (2008). Careers>Unemployment>TC

Becoming a Technical Communicator

Thinking of a career in technical communication? This article offers one point of view on what you need to know to be successful in the field.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>TC>Technical Writing

Transitioning from Literary Studies to Technical Communication

A 250 page manual for a complicated product may be more difficult to write than a master’s thesis. It may require a massive amount of deductive and inductive logic, as you try to figure out how the product works. You may spend months interviewing subject matter experts, asking them hundreds of questions about how the product functions, and then hundreds more to clarify their cryptic answers.

Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2008). Careers>TC>Advice

Mentoring Another Writer

Some thoughts on what it takes to effectively mentor another technical communicator.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Mentoring>TC>Technical Writing

The Yellow Brick Road to Technical Communication

For those of us who communicate technical content for a living, we share many job titles, such as technical writer, information developer, technical communicator, multimedia engineer, content developer, and many others. Without one focused set of titles, how did we know this is what we wanted to do?

Answers for All (2008). Careers>TC

Winning as a Tech Writer

If you need a job, then you might look for companies that have never had a professional technical writer working for them. It may require making calls or networking with friends or former co-workers. Most companies have a ton of writing to do. Usually they put off their documentation requirements and their needs have piled up. You may also find that someone such as a regulator has confronted management about insufficient documentation and they have to put a writer to work immediately.

Adelstein, Tom. O'Reilly and Associates (2007). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

The WritersUA 2008 Skills and Technologies Survey

There is no question that the software development world offers a lot of excitement and challenging work. In the area of software user assistance we are particularly challenged by having to master a wide range of disciplines. From foundation skills like writing and editing—to the coding of content—to usability testing and user interface design, we find ourselves in a profession that is difficult to define. What is it that we really do? The objective of this survey is to take a snapshot of our collective professional life in an attempt to identify what we value in our daily work as user assistance professionals.

WritersUA (2008). Careers>TC>Technology>Surveys

STC France Salary Survey  

The STC France Chapter has conducted several salary surveys among its members and non-members living and working in France. The most recent STC France salary survey was conducted in 2006. While these surveys cannot be considered statistically representative of the technical communication job market in France, they may be useful in exploring the value of experience, responsibilities, and skills and their influence on pay scales across the industry.

STC France (2006). Careers>TC>Salaries>France

Technical Writing and Technical Communication As a Job and a Career - Is it For You?

You might perhaps be considering whether to become a technical writer or not. You might be wondering: “What kind of a job technical writing is exactly and what does the future hold?” I can tell you right away that, at its most fundamental level, technical writing is safe and comfortable office work.

Technical Communication Center (2009). Careers>TC>Technical Writing

Switching Niches, Redux

Is it possible for a technical writer to switch niches and write something different? Here's an example of one person who's done just that.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2009). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

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

Analysis of the Skills Called for by Technical Communication Employers in Recruitment Postings    

Provides a framework of experiences and skills employers call for in job postings. Shows that potential employers are seeking very technical or domain-specific knowledge from technical writers. Shows that specific technology tool skills are less important to employers than more basic technical writing skills.

Lanier, Clinton R. Technical Communication Online (2009). Careers>TC

Bloom Wherever You’re Planted: A Different View on Fostering Career Longevity    

Potsus provides twelve tips on how to maintain your mental, spiritual, professional, and physical health in order to ensure you grow and flourish in your career, instead of wither away.

Potsus, Whitney Beth. Intercom (2009). Careers>TC>Professionalism

Career Planning and Longevity for Technical Communicators    

Cooper discusses her unique approach to career planning and longevity: essentially, do what you enjoy doing and find people and companies that interest you.

Cooper, Suzanne. Intercom (2009). Careers>TC>Planning

"Telescoping" to Survive This Recession    

“Telescoping,” or extending and adding to the range of services you provide, is one way to survive this recession, according to Frick.

Frick, Elizabeth G. 'Bette'. Intercom (2009). Careers>TC>Advice

Technical Communicator Jobs

When a company adds or removes a job from their site, we update ours — automatically. All jobs are collected directly from company websites, not 'pay-for' job boards.

LinkUp. Careers>Job Listings>TC

The Top Five Technical Writing Skills That Pay Big

A technical writer is a professional writer who designs, writes, creates, maintains and updates technical documentation including online help, user guidance, white papers, design specifications, system manuals and other documents. A technical writer should possess good research techniques, good sound of language and excellent writing skills. Apart from this one needs to have the following five skills.

Delaborde, Mathieu. Technical Communication Center (2009). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Lessons for Technical Communicators from the Telecommunications Sector

It’s often useful to look at the economic and technological pressures in other industries, to see if the trends emerging there are relevant to the technical communications/publications sector. In recent Blogs, we’ve covered the issues emerging in education, but the telecommunications industry might also provide some useful insights.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2009). Careers>TC>Technical Writing