4. Technical communicators have
this in common
a user-centered approach to providing
the right information, in the right way, at
the right time to make someone’s life
easier and more productive.
5. STC Body of Knowledge
Go to http://stcbok.editme.com to
learn, contribute, and add to your online
portfolio.
Adopt a topic!
7. Disciplines
• Technical writing & editing
• Content strategy
• Information architecture
• Advertising & marketing communication
• Science writing (and “ghost writing”)
• Medical writing
• Work for nonprofit organizations (grant
proposals, etc.)
• Usability and accessibility
• Instructional design
• Indexing
8. TechnicalWriting & Editing
• Hardware and software
documentation
• Policies and procedures
• White papers
• Textbooks
• Proposals
• Marketing materials
• Video scripts
• Magazine articles
• Copy editing for publishers
9. MedicalWriting
• Editing or ghost-writing articles
for medical journals
• Patient-oriented websites
• Flyers describing illnesses and
treatments, for doctors’ offices
• Medical transcription
• Instructions for prescription
medication
• Marketing materials and web
sites
• Instructions for using medical
devices such as X-ray machines
• Biotech
10. Work for Nonprofit Organizations
• Grant proposals
• Fund-raising collaterals
• Literature for clients of
the nonprofit groups
• Web site design, content,
and maintenance
11. Advertising & Marketing
Communications • Advertising
– Print
– Radio
– TV
– Billboards
– Web sites
– Social media
• Marketing collateral
– Brochures
– Flyers
– Fact sheets
– Trade show graphics
– Narrated video
– Web sites
12. • Job market for techcomm is huge
• Technology is always a growth market
• Smart companies know that their communication
with their customers can make or break them
Career Security
13. TechWriting is One of the Best
Jobs in America
http://money.cnn.com/pf/best-jobs/2013/snapshots/86.html
14. BLSTracks Salary and Outlook
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/technical-writers.htm
16. Growing Job Market
There are 46,100+ technical writers in the U.S.!
(according to the 2012-2013 STC Salary Database)
States with the most high tech and industry jobs have the most techcomm jobs
17. Annual STC Salary Database
Data are from the 2012-2013 STC Salary Database
18. Data are from the
2012-2013 STC
Salary Database,
which is drawn from
data reported by the
United States
Bureau of Labor
Statistics
19. Local Industries
• Biotech/Medical/Science
• Computer hardware
• Computer software
• Computer networking and security
• Consumer products
• Telecommunications
• Finance
• Academia
• Government/Defense/Aerospace
• Nonprofit organizations
25. Degree Programs
• B.A. in techcomm
• M.A. in techcomm
• Ph.D. in techcomm
• Undergraduate minor in
techcomm
• A certificate based on a
given number of courses in
techcomm
27. Benefits of Membership
• Affiliation (geographic or virtual) with an STC student chapter
• Affiliation (geographic or virtual) with an STC geographic chapter
• Affiliation with one STC special interest group (SIG)
• Access to salary scales, job listings, and other valuable intellectual
property on the international STC web site
• Opportunities to expand your network and build skills through
volunteering
28. Benefits of Membership (Cont.)
• Eligibility for STC student
mentoring programs
• Professional networking
• Online access to industry-leading
professional publications
• Reduced rates for STC
conferences, webinars (plus free
webinars), and certification in
technical communication
Helps to have a tech/science degree in related field (e.g., biology, chemistry, animal science, physiology, etc.)
Practical experience is also good (lab tech, EMT, vet tech, regulatory affairs, etc.)
Ability to read and interpret research data
Basic statistics
There are many opportunities for good writers in the non-profit sector, and, in most cases, the writing isn’t that technical. In general, the salaries are lower than they are in the commercial sector, but it can be a great place to start and gain some experience. There’s also satisfaction in helping a worthy cause, as opposed to building the corporate “bottom line.”
Technical marketing writing demands a special kind of creativity. Corporations are moving into a new paradigm on advertising. Instead of relying purely on “push” advertising where they blitz you with their brand until it finally sticks, they are exploring interactive communication with customers and potential customers in online forums such as blogs, wikis, Facebook, and Twitter.
So, how good is the job market for technical communicators? We’ll look at some of the numbers on the next few charts, but as you can see, it’s a huge market, and it’s a growing market. Technical communicators bring business value to the companies they work for, which is directly reflected in their median salaries.
Technical communication may not be as well-known a profession as many, but as you can see in this chart, there are a lot of technical communicators in the United States. Not surprisingly, the highest concentration of technical communicators is in the states that have the greatest concentration of high technology and industry. Like every profession, technical communication took a dive during the Recession, but as the economy starts to crank back up, so will technology and industry.
Technical communication may not be as well-known a profession as many, but as you can see in this chart, there are a lot of technical communicators in the United States. Not surprisingly, the highest concentration of technical communicators is in the states that have the greatest concentration of high technology and industry. Like every profession, technical communication took a dive during the Recession, but as the economy starts to crank back up, so will technology and industry.
Writing accurately— It’s important get it right
Writing clearly— It’s vital to keep it clear
Writing concisely— It’s wise to keep it short
Writing coherently— It had better make sense (outline!)
Writing creatively— It needs to come across to a lay audience
Tapping diverse media— It’s a multi-media world. Text must be reinforced with, visuals, multi-media, web design, and social media
Crossing boundaries and cultures— Here’s where “Global English” becomes so critical. And you can do that!
Many benefits are free and the member discounts you get on the others will very quickly exceed your student membership fee.