What about the Career?

Technical writers, technical communicators, information specialists, desktop publishers—the job titles are many—occupy a small but important part of the technical, government, and business world. They may rarely have all the expert technical knowledge—in fact, rarely do—but they excel at communication, at handling information, at document design, at meeting readers' needs.

It is an excellent career path for people with liberal-arts degrees, especially those who have had difficulties getting employment that draws upon the capabilities they developed in college. But it is also a popular choice for technical people who have good communications skills but need a change of scenery.

For more on this career, see these links and references:

• Technical Writing World. Social network for technical communicators
• Careers in technical communication. Provided by EServer TC Library, over 1130 articles.
• Alan S. Pringle, Sarah S. O'Keefe. Technical Writing 101: A Real-World Guide to Planning and Writing Technical Documentation. Scriptorium. Gives you a thorough sense of technical writing in the computer industry.
• Michael Bremer. Untechnical Writing - How to Write About Technical Subjects and Products So Anyone Can Understand. Untechnical Press. Also, gives you a thorough sense of technical writing in the computer industry.
• Gerald J. Savage, Dale L. Sullivan. Writing a Professional Life: Stories of Technical Communicators on and off the Job, Allyn and Bacon, 2001. There is no better place to get a detailed sense of the profession than the 23 articles in this book.
• Technical Writing. Articles by John L. Hoh, Jr.
• What is a Technical Writer?. By John L. Hoh, Jr.
• How I Became a Technical Writer. By John L. Hoh, Jr.
• A Guide to Careers in Technical Writing. By Allan Hoffman, Monster Tech Jobs Expert.
• Succeed in Technical Writing. From Ron Kurtus's School for Champions.
• ACC Subject Guide for Business & Technical Communications.
• Internet Resources for Technical Communicators. Provided by Keith Soltys