To set the mood for the program about Finding Your Niche as a Consultant on Thursday, January 19, we invited the panelists to share some of their insights, gleaned from years of running their own consultant businesses. (Hint: Their common theme seems to be learn, learn, learn!)
Register now to hear more (and learn a lot!) on Thursday night.
How did you get started as a technical communicator?
John Daigle: Other than flipping burgers as a teenager, I have always been a professional writer and multimedia developer (from the old film formats to the present day digital media). But, even though the career has been the same, the great thing about being a writer is learning about so many domains of information along the way. I still consider myself a reporter/editor at the core.
[After being introduced to it,] I became so enamored with the web, I decided to create a new career around it. I started a website called HyperTexas and sold the ad agency in order to “travel and teach” hypertext authoring. I’ve been doing that as a sole consultant ever since.
Tammy Van Boening: My original profession was as a bench research chemist, but I had already figured out before I even entered the field (back in graduate school) that it really wasn’t what I wanted to do for a living.
When I started out as a bench research chemist, … suddenly all these companies that never needed a formal writing/training role needed [to establish] one to be compliant and stay in business. I always loved the writing/training side of science, not the pure research side, so I readily volunteered for these roles, and had tons of on-the-job training as a result.
Linda Gallagher: I worked for nearly 12 years in the “Bell System” (Bellcore and Southwestern Bell) in a variety of jobs. I learned a lot of management, computer, and general project management skills. [Then] I was laid off and changed to tech comm and started my business at the same time. Not something I generally recommend. (…although Linda made it work!)
What’s your advice for someone just starting out in technical communication?
John: Attend meetings and conferences to network and learn. By exposing yourself to different environments you will soon learn which facet of communication is most appealing.
Create a website or blog on a topic for which you are passionate. The subject matter could be almost anything. Use it as a way to build an online portfolio of your work. The way it is designed, organized, and usable is your best calling card and resume to show off your abilities.
Bette Frick: Start broadly, learn deeply, take on every possible project, until you figure out what you are passionate about.
Linda: Learn about technical communication. Don’t assume that just because you’re a decent writer, you know how be a good technical communicator. Take courses, read books, attend STC meetings, go to conferences, workshops, whatever you can find.
What’s the most important skill for a technical communicator?
Tammy: For me, it’s the ability to understand really complicated software and explain it in plain everyday terms without oversimplifying and losing technical accuracy.
Bette: Good technical communicators must understand and love the language and must be compulsive about being correct and improving their writing. It is not about the tools.
