How long have you been in the technical communication profession? 
Formally for 18 years.
How did you get your start as a technical communicator? If you made a career change, how did you go about it?
I did a little bit of technical writing as a reporter in northeastern Colorado (see below), and then went to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for my master’s degree in technical and scientific communication. One of the requirements for that degree was to complete an internship, which I did in Denver at a consulting firm that specializes in performance improvement and e-learning. I am still working for this company as a senior instructional designer.
What was your first or favorite technical writing project? Describe some of the challenges you faced and successes realized as you completed it.
One of my favorite projects was actually a series of projects for the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). We were charged with developing a hands-on, case-based training curriculum for the examiners who audit securities firms to ensure they follow SEC regulations in their sales and trading practices and meet net capital requirements. The biggest challenge was coming into the project with little or no background in finance or accounting and having to learn some pretty complex concepts, including valuation of options/derivatives, computation of net capital, and analysis of trade reporting system outputs. Luckily, I discovered that much of this content was intrinsically interesting to me, and our project won several awards, including Microsoft’s Windows World Open.
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?
Prior to becoming a technical writer, I was a reporter, photographer, and editor at the Sterling Journal-Advocate. Some of the articles I wrote there could be considered technical features, including a series of pieces on the proposed supercollider/atom smasher that was being considered for near Brush. In terms of skills, I learned to develop my writing technique and interviewing skills.
What do you feel is the most important skill for a technical communicator?
Obviously the ability to write clearly is a must, as are listening and interviewing. Another overlooked skill is the ability to view the content from a novice’s point of view, even as you become more of an expert in the subject matter. The ability to anticipate the naïve questions and misconceptions a new user brings to an unfamiliar subject, and address these in a manner appropriate to the user’s learning/cognitive style is what separates good training from outstanding training.
What is your favorite thing about being a technical communicator?
The opportunities to grow and learn that are offered by almost every new project.
If you weren’t in the technical communication profession, what would you be?
I’ve always thought I would have been an excellent lawyer and would have enjoyed it, based on my experience covering the courts and a course we developed for securities arbitrators. Library science is another alternate career, since I’ve always spent lots of time in libraries and am interested in how information is structured and categorized (another good skill for technical communicators).