Getting to know you, getting to know all about you… 
You know how the song goes, and this post kicks off a series of interviews with our STC RMC council and other prominent members of the STC RMC community. I got the idea for interviews from an interview with Tom Johnson on his blog, I’d Rather Be Writing. Our first interview is with our current STC RMC President, Ruth Gaulke.
How long have you been in the technical communication profession?
RG: More than 10 years. 
How did you get your start as a technical communicator? If you made a career change, how did you go about it?
RG: I received a master’s degree in professional writing, and one professor promoted STC. I joined the Atlanta Chapter and have been involved since that time. This was a career change for me. I was an information technology manager and then decided to go back to school for my master’s in professional writing.
What was your first technical writing project? Describe some of the challenges you faced and successes realized as you completed it.
RG: My first experience was with writing training scripts for electrical engineering courses. When I say scripts, I mean words for a DVD that went along with graphics to depict these educational topics for people studying the electrical engineering field. The challenge for me was that I knew very little about the topic and had to get up to speed on it first. Then I had to write for these words to be spoken. This is a very different approach to writing, and it becomes very apparent once you hear the voice talent reading your words.
Have you had other professional jobs outside the technical communication field? Did you learn anything from those jobs that has been useful for in your technical communication career?
RG: Yes! My undergraduate degree is in computer science and journalism. So I worked in the IT field for years before starting as a technical writer.
What advice would you give to people who want to begin a technical communication career?
RG: I would encourage folks to not think of this profession as only document writing or help screens. My journey has been very different — writing training scripts, handbooks, web content, and much more. I have not had a “normal†technical writing career, and I don’t think that it is necessary. I would encourage folks to not be too defined and to branch out to be more marketable. Stretch your skills and learn all you can.
What tools do you use to do your job?
RG: Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your opinion) – all the Microsoft products, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Adobe PDF, and online survey creation tools.
If you weren’t in the technical communication profession, what would you be?
RG: A well-published children’s writer who creates from her beach home in Hawaii
I enjoyed reading your interview Ruth. As a new person in the technical communications field, I will take one main idea of yours and remember to apply it to everything I do in my communications growth: No pigeon hole! I should learn everything I can to expand my capabilities especially in this economic climate. Thanks.