Training for the Future

When evaluating various future endeavors and the way that technical writing fits in, I wanted to also consider law school acceptances. This is because I very much plan to attend law school directly after I finish my undergraduate degree. However, I have been looking at various big law schools, knowing that the requirements are as strenuous as any entry-level job. For this assignment, I chose to evaluate the Ivy League schools to demonstrate how technical writing can prepare someone even for something so notably exclusive as Yale or Cornell. Johnson-Eilola notes, “rearticulating technical communication in post-industrial terms provides a common ground between academic and corporate models of technical communication, which are notoriously disparate.” I think this very much articulates the purpose of highly ranked law schools. Occupations in the legal field are exceptionally reliant on bridging the gap between academic and corporate models of technical communication. A legal professional has to be able to effectively communicate both in political, legal, and laymen’s terms. Proficiency in language is tantamount.

The acceptance rates of the top ten law schools vary between 4 and 19 percent, with all of them relying heavily on three major factors. Those three major factors are as follows: GPA, LSAT score, and personal statement. PSU provides a wonderful learning environment with stimulating classes and personalized interaction with faculty. Because of these incredible offerings, I have been fortunate enough to maintain a 4.0 in both my English and GIT majors (cumulative 3.90 because general education is definitely not a strength of mine). This is a major factor when law schools consider individuals. The second factor is the LSAT score. The LSAT consists mainly of reading, writing, and analytical/critical thinking skills- all vital to the English degree. Although I have not taken the LSAT, this puts me in a very solid position to perform- provided that I study. Finally, the personal statement is where decisions are truly made. When a vast sea of students with impeccable scores all apply to the same school, said school will begin evaluating the personal statement. The key to writing an excellent personal statement is a combination of wit, rhetoric, personality- and flawless writing skills. What is honestly sad is that I likely stand a better chance of being admitted into a good law school than I do getting an entry-level position anywhere. I am a little more useless when it comes to non-academic rigor.

The first “real job” I found was a technical writing position in Seattle, WA. Personally, I would have no issue relocating for a few years or even more. This particular job is a consulting agency. The skills necessary are partly there for me. It calls for technical writing experience, but does not clarify if that is referring to work experience or if internships and collegiate experience work as well (either way).  I know a little bit of the computer skills they need, but I definitely feel like I do not have everything they are looking for. Considering that the job is $85k, I can imagine more qualified applicants will apply. However, I do think I could at least provide a convincing argument for my ability to learn the required skills quickly.

The second job is one I would legitimately apply for if I were to go to law school in Massachusetts. In Canton, Softrax is seeking a technical writer with experience in software documentation- something I would be perfect for with a second degree in digital media (technology). The listed skills involve working well with others and creativity- things that I would be good at- as well as several softwares that I am comfortable with. With an estimated salary of $55-80k, this would be beyond ideal.

As far as working within these fields, I really loved Sopensky’s words, “Complex systems give rise to simple behavior. Simple systems give rise to simple behavior.”

I feel like I especially have learned that in classes as an undergraduate. When faced with daunting tasks, it always helps to respond in a simple way. Almost all of my major successes have come from simplifying a complicated task, and many of my failures have generated from complicating a simple task. Regardless, I feel prepared by my undergraduate and am excited for what lies ahead.

Johndan Johnson-Eilola, “Relocating the Value of Work:  Technical Communication In a Post-IndustrialAge”Sherry G. Southard, “Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture”Emily Soplinsky, “Survival Skills for Communicators within Organizations”

Training for the Future (Tips for Applications)

     To begin with, I have noticed that any applicant towards a professional writing job needs to have a decent amount of experience. Many of the jobs I looked for, including the three that I came across, require at least two or three years of experience in the field. While this does seem to pose a serious obstacle for any person who is trying to apply, I do have some advice on that front. For one, I have noticed that companies tend to put this requirement on the application just to help weed out people who aren’t willing to try for the spot anyway. Apply for these positions anyway. Often, companies will not have enough people that do have the required experience, so they will dip into what applications they view as qualified. As such, putting forward a well designed application will help you get called for an interview. Secondly, every company does things differently, and no experience from another company will give you all the answers you need to fulfil the requirement of this new job. What does help you succeed is an experienced sense of problem solving. As Emily Soplinsky says in her article Survival Skills for Communicators within Organizations, “Like a lot of skills, the more practice you have at problem solving, the easier it gets. Further, understanding how organizations work provides a framework for creative problem solving” (Soplinsky 113). Just regard the following positions as shown by Indeed.com:

• https://jobs.leggett.com/job/Carthage-Copywriter-MO-64836/399256400/?feedId=95500&utm_source=Indeed&utm_campaign=LeggettandPlatt_Indeed
• 
  
• https://jobs.missouristate.edu/postings/33923?utm_source=Indeed&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Indeed
• 
  
• https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Evangel-University/jobs/Content-Editor-da8e2ce9769815c3?q=writer

           Each position requires at least two years of experience. This might turn some people off. One thing I do recommend doing is to apply for several internships throughout the college experience. This can count as experience, and allow for the applicant to bypass this restriction.

           One other thing that I recommend doing if at all possible is to sort of measure the lay of the land of the company, so to speak. It’s one thing to understand how a company chooses to appear to the public, and it’s another thing entirely to understand how they actually behave. I’ve seen this just in my company in the first few months. There are workers or departments who are less than reputable, and there are subjects that must be avoided. If there is any way to learn about this political side, such as if you know somebody in the company or can have a serious talk with previous employees, you will benefit immensely. It’s as Sherry Southard discusses in her article Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture, “Students need to understand what correct protocol in corporate culture involves, how this protocol is determined by formal and in-formal structures, and why such protocol is important” (Southard 79). Knowing how the company operates and treats its employee will help a worker both apply and work in the environment. These tips as I’ve outlined in this entry will help an applicant gain an edge when putting their application forward, or it will at least help applicants understand what to put into their appilcations.

Training for the Future

Searching for editing jobs was not as easy as I anticipated it being. Because editing jobs can encompass so much, I was surprised that there weren’t more local job openings for the position. However, I was able to find a couple of editing jobs; many of these jobs require some kind of experience in the field, or they were searching for someone with video editing skills, which I do not possess. While this is a little disheartening, I have learned many valuable skills through my internship with The Writers’ Slate and Professor Franklin. As Sherry Southard states in “Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture,” “students need skills that will enable them to participate successfully and to make decisions even more than they need such skills to work successfully within older organizations.” Professor Franklin routinely encourages his interns to make important decisions on the journal, which is a practice that I can apply to my future job. Although I am transitioning immediately from an undergraduate career to a graduate career, it is still important to have an understanding of the jobs that are on the market now, because it will give me an idea of what skills will need to be further honed in order to excel.

            The first two jobs I found were for multi-media journalist positions in Pittsburg with KOAM-TV and Manhattan with WIBW-TV. These jobs requires some kind of video editing skill. While I do not have any skills in video editing, it is something that I would be willing to learn. However, since it is a preferred skill for a new hire, I would have a disadvantage when compared to other candidates. This caused me to move on to the next job I could find.

            The second job I found was a technical writing position with Reynolds and Reynolds Company in Houston, Texas. Of all the jobs I found, this was the most attractive to me because they offer benefits that include medical, dental, vision, and health insurance; an opportunity to invest in a 401K; and paid holidays, vacations, and sick days. However, the salary listed was the only negative aspect. The job ad listed on the site was $35,000+ a year. According to Indeed.com, the average wage for technical writers in the Houston area is around $62,000 a year and the lower end of the range is approximately $40,000 a year. If I were to apply for this job, I would have to negotiate for a higher wage in order to meet the cost of living increase in moving from Pittsburg to Houston. While I kept this in mind, I moved on to the next ad.

            The next posting that I found was for a junior copywriting intern position with VSolvIt LLC. This is a web-based internship that pays $8.50 an hour. For this job, I would be “working on company newsletter, providing Quality Assurance (QA) on documents, spreadsheets, and webpages, interviewing other employees, and participation in weekly team meetings”. The minimum time commitment is 10 hours a week, which is practical for an internship position while in school. After reading this posting, I decided to apply for it in order to have a job this summer. After applying, I moved on to the next job listing.

            The final opening that I found was for an outreach intern position with Midwest Cancer Alliance - University of Kansas Cancer Center. This is a full-time paid job, but the pay is unspecified. Some of the duties that I feel as though I would excel at include creating marketing materials, generating emails for distribution, internet research, and general office duties. It also requires good customer service skills, which I would excel at because I worked at Dairy Queen for several years and was required to interact with people. However, since I’m applying for graduate school in Pittsburg, this internship was not as realistic as the one I applied for.

            Overall, there were several good opportunities available now in my chosen job field. However, many of them seemed to focus on video editing skills, and I do not have any experience with them. Despite this, I was able to find an internship that I applied for in order to have a job over the summer. I learned that, even though I’m afraid of the future, it does not hurt to look and discover what is being offered, because I could be using current opportunities to develop skills I could use in future careers. 

Southard, Sherry. "Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture."

Training for the Future

As my time at Pittsburg State University comes to an end, I have started thinking about possible career opportunities.  Completing this internship has allowed to me develop skills that will be very useful in my career field.  The following job descriptions are all positions that I would be interested in.

            The first position that I found was a Managing Editor for World Grain.  World Grain is a magazine based in Kansas City and it is the leading business publication covering the international grain flour milling, and feed industries.  The managing editor contributes to and helps oversee the workflow of World Grain and its website.  As managing editor, I would write and edit articles, work with the design staff to ensure a quality presentation, coordinate communication between staff, and develop and maintain relationships with readers and advertisers.  This job also has the potential to travel.  In order to be successful, I would need to have knowledge of grain, flour milling, and feed industries.  In order to gain that knowledge, I would need to do research on this topic.  Reading their magazine would be the first step.   I would also need strong organizational and multi-tasking skills.  My college education really allowed me to develop me skills in this area, so that is not something that I would really need to work on.  After attending the Publishing Institute at the University of Denver, I think I would be very prepared for this job description.

            Another job position that I found is an Editorial Director at Andrews McMeel.  Andrews McMeel is located in Kansas City and they are known for cutting-edge comics and best-selling humor, cookbook, puzzle, and children’s books.  As an Editorial Director, I would acquire, develop, and edit books, direct the editorial team, collaborate with other teams and editors, and provide leadership.  In order to be successful in this job, I would need to develop my leadership qualities.  I could do this by taking a leadership class at Johnson County Community College or I could do some research and read helpful books.  I will also need excellent knowledge of current digital and print book production and design procedure.  I believe that after attending the Denver Publishing Institute, I will have all of the necessary skills for this job posting.

            The last job posting that I found was a Publishing Assistant at Greenleaf Book Group, which is located in Austin, Texas.  Greenleaf Book Group is dedicated to helping authors take their ideas and make them a reality.  They have over 35 New York Times and Wall Street Journal best sellers and award-winning editorial and design.  As a publishing assistant, I would manage the front desk and phone system, manage office meetings, and assist teams with projects.  In order to be successful, I will need strong writing and verbal skills, which I definitely acquired during my time at Pittsburg State University.   I will also need strong Microsoft Office skills, which I am also good at, but I will need to improve my skills with Excel because that is that one that I use the least.  While this job may not be exactly what I want to do, I think it would be a good way to get my foot in the door.

            Overall, all of these places have positions that I would be interested in applying for.  They will all provide me with good experience and they will be good stepping-stones for my career.  I truly believe that Pittsburg State University prepared me for me future endeavors and I can’t wait to see where I end up.

Training for the Future

Finishing up my internship, I have truly enjoyed every minute of applying what I learned in class to the real world. This experience has stimulated my interest in the subject and I wish to continue on to learn more about the field beyond just my minor requirements. I still have a year left of college and I believe that my business degree with majors in International Business and Marketing beautifully compliment Technical Writing. When looking for jobs, I searched with three things in mind: local, within the states, and employment overseas.

The first company I immediately searched for was Unilever. I love their innovative mission statement. They continuously sets out to find better ways of implementing greener and ethical business practices that benefits people and the environment. They have an internship opening as an Artwork Production Specialist in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In the "Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age" article, it talks about how professionals today come from many disciplinary backgrounds. I agree when it comes to this position, which requires wearing multiple hats. I would work in teams that control multiple brands and come up with marketing strategies for different countries. I would create reports on the progress of these products, do business consultation with vendors, and be a marketing partner. Working at Krimson Kultuur, it as taught me to multi-task and combine all of my disciplines by interacting with customers, working with a limited budget, and creating documents or web layouts that would showcase our business events and quarterly reports. This description hit the jackpot in terms of fulfilling all of the criteria I look for in a job.

A job as a Customer Marketing Manager is located much closer to home. This job is in Bentonville, Arkansas and it focuses on working with the Millennial Market Segment (younger adults). I would be collaborating with other department teams to create program manuals and implement campaigns to target this group.This job does not mention technical writing specifically but it does require excellent writing skills. There is argument in whether this field is undervalued because of its modern practice of focusing on format over purpose of the work of a Technical Writer (Johnson-Eilola, p. 6). In my experience, I have learned that it takes both. It is important to make the work look professional and, at the same time, keeping the customer's (audience) opinion in mind. I believe that is a crucial factor to understand and adopt as a Technical Writer.

Lastly, there is a job opening in Burbank, California as a Professional Proposal Writer for the Proposals and Business Development corporation. This position will be dealing more in the Local, State, and Federal Government realm. I would be researching, writing, and editing within the Licensure: Certification Division. This job blends really well with my marketing major. I carry experience in researching, analyzing data, and applying those statistics in my reports. I believe it would be a very satisfactory job to do. However, I would like to have more practice with copyediting before I go into a job that demands it daily like this one. Overall, I would still take the challenge. My knowledge gained in Technical Writing has only been reinforced and strengthened in my time as an intern at Krimson Kultuur. I only hope that my future experiences can create new challenges and opportunities to apply this useful field in other aspects of my professional career.

Sources:
Johnson-Eilola, Johndan. "Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age."

Training for the Future

Completing the Technical/Professional Writing program has prepared me for jobs/careers in the related field; although, in many courses, I found that some of the skills I've acquired are desirable or needed in multiple fields. For example, in Advanced Technical Writing I learned the art and rhetoric of Global English. Global English is a genre of writing that condenses the English language to commonly used words. Global English is important for many international corporations. I found a job application for the Department of Homeland Security that specified for the employee to be knowledgeable in Global English. Although the title of the position was International Communications Specialist, students from the program can apply to this position with adequate qualifications. Working for the Department of Homeland Security provides multiple benefits and job security. Aside from international and immigrant focused communication, students in the program will learn other marketable skills such as project management.
Johndan Johnson-Eilola’s statement in “Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age” claims that technical communicators aren’t always seen as the managers of entire projects, but specific parts that are added on to the primary product or goal; however, from the job descriptions I’ve research, this statement is not entirely accurate. In a recent job listing for Pitsco Education in Pittsburg, KS, being the lead of a project is exactly what the company is looking for. The job application (link here: https://www.myinterfase.com/gorillas/Job/Detail/V2xmdkliQzFIV0VVbThJUEFlN0JoUDlaUjZGc2lHYWY3NVB4Y21OQWdQST01) describes the job as a lead position. The company is looking for a lead manager/role in order to help the company with big editing projects and software packets. Basically, technical editors do a lot more than just check for grammar and punctuation mistakes. Skills that students acquire from editing encapsulate what it means to create a clear and concise document. Knowing how to effectively work well with others is also a big part of editing. Editors must be able to communicate directly and firmly their terms and agreements. If they over-edit or under-edit a document, tensions could spark and harmony among employees could alter. Therefore, students don’t need to prepare for just practical knowledge and abilities, but they should prepare for social and business professional relationships.
Another job offer I found was for Leading Educators of America based in Kansas City. Their position required someone who could lead the department of communication in certain campaigns, brochures, pamphlets, and educational packets. Again, the job posting did not specifically mention “technical writing,” however, many of the same skills and abilities a tech writer obtains, a communication specialists contains as well. If there’s one thing I took away from my Internship and experience at with the program, it would be that many skills often merge together from business to communication to English to tech writing.   Ultimately, students going into the workforce should prepare for three main factors:  adaptation, social harmony, and a comprehensive knowledge. In any job, adaptation is necessary, especially if things go wrong or policies change. Social harmony is important for all tech writing positions, especially in the editing sector. Without a harmonious work environment, companies have a hard time building long lasting trust with their employees that ultimately factor into production rates. Comprehensive knowledge is important for professional writers because so many other skills sets can merge with ours. From my internship and time at Pittsburg State University, I have studied these three training units that have prepared me for the workforce after graduation. PreviousNext

Training for the Future

With my senior year coming to an end, I have started the great job hunt. I will be moving to Las Vegas, NV immediately after graduation, so I have been trying to locate Technical Writing jobs available in the area. The three jobs that I have described below are all positions I am very interested in. They are located in Nevada, Illinois, and Texas. Having just finished my internship I feel that I am ready to step into any role that could be asked of me at these jobs.

The first company is Scientific Games, located in Las Vegas, NV. They are a technology company that specializes in lottery, casino, and online gambling software. They are looking for a full-time technical writer and only asking for one year of internship experience. The only one year of experience really surprised me because all of the other jobs I have found are asking for three plus years of experience. I did apply for this job because the description and company information interested me greatly. I think that with my degree in technical writing and my minor in computer information systems would be extremely helpful and useful for this job. I would also enjoy helping to create software manuals that would be used regularly and help with a product that is in high demand especially in Las Vegas.

The second company is a manufacturing company out of Lake Zurich, IL. They are looking for a full time Technical Writer to help with the product manuals and also the manuals used on the factory floor. I think that this job would be interesting and a place I could grow in my abilities. It is not with a software company like I originally set out looking for but I still think that it would be an interesting environment to work in and new for me. I enjoy new and challenging. Something that is a little different about this job is that it is an hourly full time position. This isn’t unusual for a technical writer to be paid hourly but it is kind of unusual that it is a full time position and not a part-time/contractor position. That would be a question I would ask during an interview, would it be a regular nine to five job or are the hours set different because it is hourly.

The third and final job I found is with a company called DISYS, which is an IT consulting service located in Fort Worth, TX. The company is looking for a full time Technical Writer to help create document templates, write work instructions, and help analyze existing and new documents. This is a computer company which I am interested in because it helps me implement my minor. However, this job does not come with job security because it is a one year trial bases hire. I feel like I could prove myself and show what an asset I could be to the company in that year but it is still fairly nerve wrecking.

Training for the Future

Being a student at Pittsburg State University has provided me with various opportunities to enhance my skill as a technical writer. Specifically as a technical writing student, I have been equipped with a variety of skills and learned a great deal about the technical aspects of technical/professional writing, such as language usage. However, my internship has awarded me an experience that is much more applicable to a real world setting. As Sherry Southard mentions in “Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture”, “students need skills that will enable them to participate successfully and to make decisions even more than they need such skills to work successfully within older organizations.” My internship has provided me with just that. Through my game design internship under the Tech Writing director, I have had hands-on experience in managing an entire editing and production process. Unfortunately, as Johndan Johnson-Eilola details in his work, “Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age,” technical communicators aren’t always seen as managers of the entire process, but rather “as something to be added on to a primary product…added at the end of the project (with too little time or too few staff members), or perhaps omitted entirely.” Luckily, with my internship, I have had experience as more than just support. This will undoubtedly increase my value when I go on to pursue a career.

One of the three jobs that I was interested in is an Editorial Assistant at Prufrock Press in Austin, Texas. They are looking for someone to assist with their books and classroom materials editors. Candidates for this job must possess strong editing and communication skills, be able to meet deadlines, and be comfortable with learning APA style. My internship, in conjunction with my education at Pitt State, have prepared me well for this, but I could prepare for this position by studying the APA style guide. I have had to learn to use multiple style guides in various classes, so this should not be difficult. To do so, I would likely by looking at the Purdue OWL website and buying an APA style guide. Additionally, I have learned and exercised my editing skills through my classes and my internship. In my internship, I was tasked with editing all of the text-based elements of the game, checking for consistency and correctness. Furthermore, my experience with the Cow Creek Review will also enhance my skills for this job. By working as an editor for a literary magazine, I will not only have editing experience, but publishing experience as well.

Another job that I found is a Content Editor for the Blue Monday Review in Kansas City, MO.  They are looking for someone to read, edit, and evaluate work submitted to their literary magazine. This person will read and evaluate 10-20 submissions a week. This position did not call for many qualifications, but, similar to the Prufrock Press position, I would be well-suited for this role because I have had editing experience in my internship and classes. Furthermore, I have worked on a literary magazine, so I understand how the editing and selection process works for a literary magazine. To further prepare for a position such as this, I could spend more time working for the Cow Creek Review. Additionally, I could also apply for a writing consultant position at my university’s Writing Center.

A third job I found is an Assistant Managing Editor at Allen Press, Inc. in Lawrence, KS. This company specializes in scholarly journal and special-interest publication production. Skills for this position include keeping track of manuscripts and reviews, working with Copyediting Coordinators to maintain proper style, assembling publications, and communicating with authors. For this position, my internship has assisted because I have had to essentially manage an entire editing/publication process alongside my internship director and my co-intern. But I would need to gain more experience with managing the editing process. While I am familiar with the editing process, I could gain this experience by serving as the managing editor for the Cow Creek Review or becoming a managing editor for a volunteer publication. 

Johnson-Eilola, Johndan. "Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age."

Soplinsky, Emily. "Survival Skills for Communicators within Organizations."

Southard, Sherry. "Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture."

Training for the Future

Through my time as student in Tech Writing program and as intern under the Tech Writing director I have learned much more about tech writing than I ever planned. The various professors I have had for my tech writing classes all shared or discussed what tech writing can be like in a job setting. While none of them necessarily gave students a scenario to teach the various nuances of holding a job, especially one in tech writing, like Sherry Southard suggests. They still teach us the technical aspect of tech writing, but the sharing of experience as a professional helps to bring in the less concrete skills that are hard to explicitly teach. The internship experience has really helped to branch out into the “communication” side of technical communication as Johndan Johnson calls the field. The communication side is the less concrete side of the job, but doing the research and reading for this blog has helped to understand professional life.

One job that I found that fits my skills is as a Technical Writer at RPC which is in the financial industry. They are looking for someone that can research, interview, recommend changes, write instructions, maintain writing style, peer edit, document work history, and follow through on projects. My particular internship has set me up well for something like this because I have been able to do this in some form. Creating a game has called for researching various technical writing jobs, recommending changes in game mechanics based in though out reasons, peer edit the work of my co-intern, and work on this project independently. A good way to prepare for this kind of job would to look into journals/manuals in the relevant industry and become somewhat familiar with the conventions. A publication from this list would be good place to start. 

Another job that I found is a Technical Writer at Continuum. They are looking for someone to test new software and creating documentation for that software. This person will also test other tech writer’s work, working with the creators, and making changes. This is of interest to me because it deals somewhat with web programming languages, which is my main field of study. I have also previously worked on a documentation project so I have some experience working with software and testing out the document with testers. A good place to learn web languages is codecademy.com It is a free resource that has basic and advanced tutorials and updates their content on occasion. As for testing various works, a good and fun way to do this is playtesting games. I have been given the opportunity to create and playtest games as an intern and student.

A third job I found is a Technical Writer at Corptax which deals with business process and automation solutions for corporate tax. Skills for this position include Adobe Creative Suite, HTML/XML, editing, single source authoring tool, peer reviewing, and knowledge sharing. Since I am a Graphics Communications major I am familiar with Adobe Creative Suite and HTML. My knowledge of how Content Management systems work would prepare me well for single source authoring methods. As a graphics student I have had the opportunity to ask fellow students about my work and also be able to share new knowledge with them. To keep up with changing technologies I would go to lydna.com for Adobe software and codecademy.com for web programming, but lynda.com also has good resources for the web.

Johnson-Eilola, Johndan. "Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age."

Soplinsky, Emily. "Survival Skills for Communicators within Organizations."

Southard, Sherry. "Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture."

Training for the Furture

     Since my internship is coming to an end for this semester I have started to look at job opportunities. I have found three great job options for the start of my career. All three jobs are something that I would be very interested in and I think I would be very comfortable staying in the positions for some time. My internship has helped to prepare me for someone of the role requirements that all of the jobs are asking of their future employees.  Two of the jobs are located in Las Vegas, Nevada and the other is located in Washington, D.C.

     The first company is Ruby on Rails, located in Washington D.C., and they are looking for a Technical Writer who can document the architecture of the app itself. They request that the applicant has a degree in computer science, education or technical writing. I think I would already be a benefit to this company because my major is English with the emphasis in Technical Writing and a supporting minor in Computer Information Science. The company specializes in software development for learning activities for K through 3^rd-grade students in charter and private schools. This is similar to what I have been doing in my internship. I have been formatting and editing children’s literature and helping to publish them in an online forum. The company specifically wants a tech writer that is able to take the software language of their products and make them into something easily understood by the salespeople and any potential partners.

     The second company is Birtcher located in Las Vegas, NV. They are looking for a technical writer that will be able to maintain the existing document base they have, but also be able to develop new procedural documentation. The documentation will be used by the manufacturing production line, sub-assembly stations, warehouse & shipping and quality. The material and assignments that are asked of us in our classes will be great preparation for the materials this company would be asking of the technical writing employee. Something that makes this position different from a regular technical writing job is that they are asking more of their employee. Such as: meeting with individuals requesting technical documents to form relevant support materials to develop written documentation, drawings, and installation instructions. It seems that the company would like their employee to be well rounded and integrated into the company structure. This is an idea that I really like and feel would be beneficial for me because I am a people person and enjoy communicating with others.

     The third company is Konami, they specialize in systems and game development. They are specifically looking for a Technical Writer but I think I could bring more to the applicant pool because I have a minor in Computer Information Science. The basic outline for what they are asking of a future employee is to take the engineering and mechanical language that the software and games are written in and transition it into technical instructions that someone without a computer background would be able to understand easily. I think my knowledge of computer language would be very beneficial here and help to also bridge the gap that is sometimes created between software engineers and technical writers. Some of the day to day things that the company would be asking of an employee is the maintaining of documentation and templates that are preexisting. 

Training for the Future

For this blog, I found three technical writing jobs that I am interested in. The jobs are at KeyBridge Technologies in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, CoreLogic in San Diego, California, and The Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.

The first position is for a Documentation Specialist at KeyBridge Technologies in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They provide business solutions to assist organizations optimize their assets, knowledge, and service. They provide learning solutions through custom courseware development, professional support through onsite staff, information technology like web and database development, logistics support to military and Federal customers, as well as 3D Immersive Environments like high quality architectural renderings. A Documentation Specialist acts as an onsite company liason. They must analyze requirements, prepare document outlines, and develop technical content. They also write management summaries, implementation, and quality assurance plans. The skills I would learn would mostly be on the job. The technical content I would be required to know would very depending on the business I would be partnering with. The most important skill I would need to develop would be my research skill so that whichever project I was working on, I could familiarize myself with the technical content.

The second position is as a Technical Writer for CoreLogic in San Diego. CoreLogic serves financial services and insurance agencies. They gather data and analytics to help customers make smart business decisions. The Technical Writer's job is to write copy for operation and maintenance manuals and technical publications. They prepare written text and coordinate layout and organization of manuals and documents. They also edit documents and tutorials, as well as research available technical data. To prepare for this job I would need a basic knowledge of insurance. I would obtain this knowledge by taking the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Foundations of Insurance Regulation Course.

The final position is for a Editorial Associate at The Aspen Institute in Washington, DC. They are an educational and policy studies organization that fosters leadership and provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. An Editorial Associate provides editorial support to the communications department. This include writing, editing, content development, and image materials. The communications department produces materials for the institute's magazine, blog, annual report, website, brochures, collateral materials, and more. I have quite a bit of experience writing and editing for the web, but to brush up on my skills I would take a blogging course online through Full Sail University.

Training for the Future

Prior to coming back to school to work on my Master’s degree, I was in the workforce for eight years. I worked for a Fortune 500 company that gave me experience on the corporate level of how to gather and present information to a large range of people. In 2013 I was presented with the opportunity to come back to school. Obtaining a master’s in technical and professional writing I have taken classes that have challenged me as well as helped me grow as a reader, researcher and writer. I finally got to re-enter the workforce with my internship putting the information that I have gathered and collected from my classes to work on a more professional level. The information that the Technical professors have shared in my college courses has been extremely beneficial when it comes to the work place. I have learned how to use a variety of programs to create information that will benefit a large variety of people through visual, written and verbal communication. Articles such as Johndan Johnson-Eilola’s “Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age," Sherry Southard’s “Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture,” and Emily Soplinsky’s “Survival Skills for Communicators within Organizations,” expressed the understanding that I need to have as I enter the workforce to be able to collaborate with a large group of fellow employees with different background educational levels. Through my past history in a fortune 500 company with roughly 25,000 employees to my internship company with 15 employees but a large customer base I have learned how to express ideas to promote ideas to a large range of people.

For this final blog post about my internship assignment, I have found three job listings that I could turn into potential career opportunities. The first job listing is for a Technical Writer for Jack Henry and Associates located in Monett, MO. The second listing is for a Technical Writer at Genesis 10 in Addison, TX. Finally, the last job listing is for an Environmental Analyst/Technical Writer at an undisclosed company located in Buffalo, NY.

Jack Henry and Associates located in Monett, MO is looking for a Technical Writer. This company is a software-based company who provides support for the Banking industry. This position will write and edit paper, multimedia and web-based publications. They must be able to conduct interviews with various users, technical staff and quality assurance staff to gather data for documentation. They also need to be able to communicate with customers to resolve minor issues relating to said documentation. My previous skills obtained through the fortune 500 company, school, and my internship I feel that I am well equipped to handle this job. I have learned how to conduct research and provide information to large groups. Where I lack knowledge for this position is in the banking industry and federal regulations that regulate the industry. As a way of learning about banking regulations, contact the local chapter of AIB (American Institute of Banking) to find out when their next round of courses are offered on the banking industry. It would also be beneficial to do research on the FDIC laws and regulations through the FDIC Website.

Genesis 10  is a US Business and technology-consulting firm where recruiters and delivery professionals are highly accomplished career advocates. They are looking for a technical writer for their Addison, Texas location. This position creates a shared knowledge base for customers through different outlets including Wiki, coordinate and standardize the documentation for PKI, Federation, SSO, Extended Services, etc and help streamline management and regulatory reports. Most of the job is on the job training. However one piece of document support required knowledge is Adobe Portable Document Format. To prepare to learn about this particular Adobe product a YouTube series has been found that gives basic background information on how to use Adobe Portable Document Format.

Finally an undisclosed company located in Buffalo, New York is looking for an Environmental Analyst/Technical Writer. This makes the job position a little more difficult to fully discuss because the company chose to remain anonymous however they are looking for an Environmental Analyst to analyze and convey technical information. This is an expanding team of professional and qualified environmental, construction monitoring and real estate staff members who focus on providing solutions in challenging real estate transactions to national and community lending institutions as well as other real estate professionals. My previous background knowledge is in Risk Management and Environmental policies at a fortune 500 company. With the knowledge gained in technical writing I feel well equipped to present information about environmental affairs. As a way to brush up on my knowledge on environmental standards, visiting the EPA website is extremely beneficial to this position as well as OSHA  knowledge since there is some co-mingling between the two organizations. Another avenue to gain some information in would be Human Resources, taking a basic HR class at a local college or university.

Sources:

Emily Soplinsky, “Survival Skills for Communicators within Organizations”

Johndan Johnson-Eilola, “Relocating the Value of Work:  Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age”

Sherry G. Southard, “Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture”