In this month’s meeting, we addressed some concerns for technical writing contractors: sharing personal information, pivoting your career, and using AI.
In the era of paperless transactions, disclosing your banking information to clients can be a concern. Hackers and fraudsters can discover private information from only a few details, such as phone numbers or bank account numbers. People shared experiences of being uncomfortable with revealing full banking information, social insurance number, and other details to clients, and with using e-transfer. Others were more open about this: they commonly complete wireless purchases and are not overly concerned with the legitimacy of the transaction.
Reluctance to exchange banking information can cost you work opportunities: clients can choose contractors who are more open to sharing their information. The choice is yours. Whatever you decide, it’s important to set your expectations clearly and discuss them with your clients to avoid complications.
We also discussed changing directions in your career. Someone suggested that repetition in work choice, sticking to the same subject area or documentation type, can result in monotony, lack of growth, reduced opportunity to learn new skills, and a limited portfolio. This concern prompted him to connect with a business strategist for some personalized coaching to uncover more opportunities for leveraging his technical writing skill sets and learning about new industries.
We also discussed how to build a technical writing portfolio from scratch. A popular freelancing website lets you showcase your work to attract potential employers. You can also join community groups to learn strategies to market yourself, and take online courses to practice your writing skills. You can also ask ChatGPT to suggest writing ideas to create a portfolio, and volunteer to write for nonprofits, which you can find on websites offering volunteering opportunities.
A lively debate arose about the use of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT in writing and producing creative works. AI can be useful in translating works into multiple languages, writing application code, generating video content, writing social media posts, and copywriting.
However, not all writers are enthusiastic about AI. One person did not consider AI useful to a technical writer, due to the extra effort in editing the AI-generated piece for accuracy and to resemble their writing style. Furthermore, relying on AI templates can lead to the loss of originality and creativity in producing creative works.
Artificial Intelligence tools are here to stay, yet their direct impact requires further discussion.
The Tech Comm Café provides networking opportunities, job leads, answers to work-related dilemmas, and a burst of professional energy to keep you motivated. We discuss technical writing tools and techniques, career planning, portfolios, and anything else related to working as a technical communicator.
We welcome anyone who’s interested in technical communication — contractor, in-house, student, long-time tech writer, STC member, non-member, career-changer, or recruiter. We hope to see you at the next meeting!
Next Meeting: ONLINE on Wednesday, April 17, 2024
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- If you plan to attend, RSVP by 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, to receive login instructions.
Date: Wednesday, April 17
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Location: Online via Zoom
Agenda
- Introductions. Take 60 seconds to introduce yourself, your background, current activities. A good chance to try out that new elevator speech.
- Announcements and job leads. If you know of an interesting event or a job opening, or you’re looking for work, share it with the group.
- Brainstorming Q&A. Ask about a work-related problem and discuss potential solutions.
- Speed networking. Make new contacts and discuss your professional backgrounds and goals.
Quyen is a recent graduate from The University of British Columbia. She has a passion for writing and storytelling, which motivated her to volunteer to write for STC CWC to explore different genres of writing. She hopes to connect more with professionals and experts in technical writing and learn from them.