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Claudette Lampley Professor Joseph Griffin English 252 25 October 2013 The Exploration of the Technical Writing Field Introduction It is important, in every grown persons life, to search out and obtain gainful knowledge and purpose. For most people, especially students, this means they should look for a career field then select the type of job within the career field they consider would be best suited for their needs, aptitudes, and interests. As students begin to set goals they can often feel anxious and overwhelmed by unseen pressures; they are after all choosing how a good portion of their lives will be spent. This decision will affect not only them but their families and posterity. Thankfully, there are patterns in which students can systematically research and decide on suitable job goals for their futures. To begin the exploration of the technical writing field, this paper will explain the need for college education, then the differences between types of writing careers will be explored, later this paper will show the specific duties of a Technical Writer, and finally it will address ways to find a job for a company the student will enjoy. In this systematic way the technical writing field will become more clearly quantified and students will be able to set better personal, educational, and profession goals for their future.

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Formal Edcuation

Writing Careers

Technical Writing

How to Choose a Job You Will Love

(Diagram of Outline)

Why Education? So why is education important in career pursuits or in life in general? Although man cannot live by money and material things alone they are, at lease in American society, an overall measure of success and effort. The more formal education a student has the greatly likeliness they will have a job which will pay well so they can support themselves and their families when and if needed. Statistics clearly show to get jobs with a larger salaries students must achieve higher levels of formal education (The More You Learn,2013). Although there are exceptions to this rule, like rock stars with no formal musical education, the numbers show many high salary jobs can only be obtained if a person has a formal education (and sometimes additional work experience is required as well).

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On the website educationplanner.org a fun interactive thermometer shows the differences between education and salary. Some patterns to be noticed include a significant increase in salary (significant being ten thousand dollars or more per year) when a person graduates high school, earns a Bachelors degree, earns a Masters degree, earns a Doctorates degree, and especially when they complete a Professional degree (The More You Learn, 2013). The largest jump in salary increase occurs when a worker earns a Professionals degree after earning a Bachelors degree; this increase proves to be is around twenty-three thousand dollars per year (The More You Learn, 2013). So education is important because it allows students to apply for a higher salary job when they finish school and that means they have a wider knowledge base and a stronger formal foundation on which to base their careers. In the general writing field, a formal education is especially necessary because all three careers this paper explores which include Technical Writing, Writing and Authoring, and Editing all require at least a Bachelors degree for entry level jobs (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2013). What Writing Careers are Available? The three writing careers this paper explores are Technical Writing, Writers and Authors, and Editors. All of these careers are based on a strong understanding of the English Language and ability to communicate heavily through writing (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2013). However, each career is different and has different tasks. This means there is a variety of careers an

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English Major could pursue upon completion of their degree. One of the perks in obtaining an English based education is that the degree is flexible in what types of careers and jobs a graduate student can search for. This is also good because these three careers work together as a team a graduate can use the same degree even if they want to switch careers later in life. Writers and Authors generally compose new written materials under the supervision of Editors or independently as seen in the field of fictional writing (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2013). They need to understand their audience, do investigative research, and work as a team with their Editors (and others) to make their new material ready for publishing (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2013). They can write either non-fiction or fiction works depending on their talents and abilities. In contrast, Editors edit the new material. They check for accuracy, foster new ideas for people to write about, propose certain materials to be written, and work as part of a team to help writers develop and refine their material (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2013). There are many types of editors with more specific jobs but as this paper is about the technical writing field that will be its focus.

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Summary Topic Median Pay Required Education Work Experience Outlook Description

Technical Writers $ 63,280 yearly $ 30.42 hourly BA 1-5 years 17% Average Write instructions Choose visual aids for instructions Work as a team to increase product usability Learn about merchandise Edit writings

Writers & Authors $ 55,420 yearly $ 26.64 hourly BA 0 years 6% Slow Write new material Understand their readers Do investigation Work as a team to make material ready for publishing (editing)

Editors $ 51,470 yearly $ 24.75 hourly BA 1-5 years 1% No Change Edit new material Check accuracy of information Work as a team to help writers develop refined material Propose material to be written Cultivate new ideas Accept/Reject writers material

TABLE OF INFORMATION: Taken From the Bureau of Labor Statistics Website with Information from 2010 Technical Writers: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

A Technical Writer Does What? The AKCIS website states, Technical writers put scientific or technical information into language that is easy for others to understandThey also write manuals that give detailed information on how to install, use, or repair products.(2013). Technical Writing is unique among these other careers because it is more detail oriented, often requires a more specific knowledge base, requires more attention to detail and problem solving skills, but has more projected job growth in comparison to the two other careers just discussed.

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Other names for Technical Writers include but are not limited to: Technical Communications Specialists, Technical Communicators, Technical Writers, Writers and Authors, and Editors (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2013). This information is important to keep in mind because some people switch careers without going back to school several times in their lives and may change from one of these careers to another within their life time. Technical writers must learn several skills while students if they wish to be successful in this career. The Career One Stop website states potential candidates for this occupation need knack for communicating on many levels if they want to be successful (2013). They need to be able to socially interact as part of a team with other editors and authors; motivate themselves without external interference from their boss or manager; use all types of communication to include verbal, written, and visual; be comfortable in almost exclusive indoor environments; maintain attention to detail; be able to repeat actions and thought processes often; maintain decisiveness; work a set schedule; problem solve; weigh pros and cons; and meet deadlines through individual goal setting (AKCIS, 2013). In addition to the common things you use in an indoor work environment there are also plenty of hardware and software tools a technical writer must learn to use. Because the career requires a variety of tasks and problem solving these tools help Technical Writers create decent written instructions and see potential flaws in the items or processes they are work on. A short list of these additional tools include: computers, cameras (digital),

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media storage devices, photo scanners, database software, publishing software, imaging software, and sometimes web development software (O*Net, 2012). Some of these software programs take effort to learn and patience to use thereby these difficulties create an opportunity for students to distinguish themselves if they learn to use this software thoroughly. How Does a Student Pick the Right Job? To understand what a student would be good at they should rely on how well they know their own interests, aptitudes, skills, talents, and abilities. In researching how to choose the right job an excellent resource was identified on About.com. It sets a very simple yet effective process to find a job which will make a person happy. The process is described in five steps as shown below (Doyle, 2013): 1) 2) 3) Know yourself Search and learn about jobs to match your interests Use social connections to understand what the

atmosphere of the company is 4) In the interview ask them questions at the end so you

understand more about the company and what you can expect from them 5) Weigh the pros and cons of the job to make sure you

will like the environment To expound on this process students must understand how important it is to ask questions and interview employers as they interview the

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student. For example, at the end of the interview the potential employer asks the interviewee if they have any questions. A good rule is to ask at least three well thought out questions at this point but more may be needed. Interviewees have every right, and responsibly, to understand the formality of the prospective job setting and how they will be expected to dress, act, and preform on a daily basis. Not all job descriptions include this and therefore it is left for the person being interviewed to ask these questions so they better understand how well they would like the jobs environment. Conclusion The English Occupation has many jobs associated with it. This paper identified two in part including Writing and Authoring, and Editing. While it more seriously explored the Technical Writing field and how it is different from the previous two fields. Technical Writing is important because it provides an opportunity for people to write and communicate instructions and work as a team to develop better products or services. This field is worth evaluation if a student sees it as a perspective career because it has higher wages and a better outlook for growth than its counter parts. However, each student is responsible to research and choose their own field and eventually their own job because only they can know what circumstances and opportunities would make them happiest.

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Works Cited "AKCIS - Occupations - Technical Writers." 2013.Web. <https://akcis.org/info2.aspx?FileID=Occ&FileNum=100209&TopicNum=3 >. "A-Z Index: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." 2013.Web. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/a-z-index.htm#W>. "Career One Stop Videos." 2013.Web. <http://www.careeronestop.org/Videos/CareerandClusterVideos/careerand-cluster-videos.aspx>. Doyle, Alison. "How to Find Job You Love." 2013.Web. <http://jobsearch.about.com/od/howtofindajob/a/find-a-job-you-love.htm>. "Editors: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." 2012.Web. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-andcommunication/editors.htm>. "The More You Learn, the More You Earn." 2013.Web. <http://www.educationplanner.org/students/career-planning/exploresalary-pay/more-learn-more-earn.shtml>. "O Net Technical Writers." 2012.Web. <http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-3042.00>.

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"Technical Writers: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." 2012.Web. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-andcommunication/technical-writers.htm>. "Writers and Authors: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." 2012.Web. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-andcommunication/writers-and-authors.htm>.