This month we returned to the Japanese restaurant Ebisu on Broadway, where the tranquil ambience was interrupted only once, when a nearby table erupted in song upon receiving a flaming ball of deep-fried ice cream. Otherwise, we were left in peace to concentrate on several germane themes, including training for technical communication, the many varieties of jargon technical writers are forced to face, and the challenges of interviewing as an introvert.
In attendance were writers with a broad array of backgrounds, from electronics to communication, and varied levels of experience: some of us were still enrolled in technical communication programs while others had had many years of work experience as contractors or employees. We concluded that though some projects demand highly specific expertise, the industry isn’t limited to computer science or engineering graduates.
Later, the conversation turned to fields that overlap with technical communication, such as grant writing, instructional design, and marketing (though we felt that marketing tended to attract professionals with a different character and skill set), and how we might tailor our careers to best make use of our training. The veteran writers talked us through some of the projects they’d had to work on, from white papers (absolutely not to be confused, we were told, with the less wholesome-sounding “infomercial”), to API documents and dog-training manuals. Their experience reaffirmed the breadth of the industry, where the “technical” can come in many forms. We then remarked on the numerous varieties of abstruse language that technical writers have to parse and paraphrase, from in-house abbreviations to software engineering jargon.
There was near-unanimous agreement on the awkwardness of self-promotion and a few good tips on how more introverted writers might deal with interviews — attenuate the horrors of a panel by finding out beforehand how many interviewers will be present! We also discussed the value of informational interviews and whether it was wise for candidates to turn up to offices in person to ask about potential openings. Several of us suggested networking opportunities and wondered whether technical writers would gain more benefit from events that were targeted at the technology or at the communications industries.
Those of us still in training left with a list of handy resources, including the websites idratherbewriting.com and writethedocs.org for technical writing tips, and bctechjobs.ca and the Society for Technical Communication’s own site for job opportunities.
Next Meetings
- Vancouver-area Tech Comm Café: October 16. Details below.
- Victoria Tech Comm Café: TBD.
- Subscribe to receive email announcements of future meetings.
Next Vancouver-area Tech Comm Café
Wednesday, Oct. 16: Special 40th anniversary event!
Time: 6:30–8:30 p.m. Pacific Time
Location: Trattoria Burnaby, #102 – 4501 Kingsway (near Willingdon), Burnaby, BC. Check their website for menu and pricing.
If you plan to attend, please RSVP by 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 15 (note new deadline).
