| If you are wondering what levels one can expect to | | | | and translation skills. |
| reach in a technical writing career, here are 3 profiles | | | | - Optional: publishing articles in popular professional |
| just to give you a rough idea. | | | | periodicals like STC's Intercom. |
| Please don't forget that this is just an approximate | | | | - Optional: serving as a Juror in professional technical |
| picture and does not mean that you have to go | | | | communication competitions. |
| through each level in exactly the same manner. | | | | Software skills: |
| You may perhaps start off from the Intermediate level | | | | - Microsoft Office Suite |
| if you are bringing with you a strong background in | | | | - FrameMaker (Unstructured and Structured) |
| software skills and job experience. | | | | - Photoshop |
| Or who knows, you might reach a senior level within | | | | - Illustrator |
| just 5 years? That's certainly possible too. | | | | - Help file editor (RoboHelp, Flare, Quadralay, |
| Individual cases always vary. But I believe what follows | | | | DoctoHelp, etc.) |
| is still a useful general picture in terms of presenting | | | | - Version control software (MS Source Safe, etc.) |
| you an overall survey of the technical writing | | | | - Optional: Advanced version and content |
| landscape and providing some general benchmarks. | | | | management software (Agile, etc.) |
| They are not based on any scientific study but on my | | | | - Optional: Dreamweaver and/or HTML coding |
| personal experience of over 10 years as a technical | | | | Profile 3: Senior-Level Technical Writer |
| writer. | | | | Time on job: Over 10 years |
| Please let me know if you'd have any questions about | | | | Job skills: |
| these career profiles. | | | | - Writing and editing interface and procedural |
| Profile 1: Junior-Level Technical Writer | | | | documentation including user guides, installation guides, |
| Time on job: 0-5 years | | | | quick reference guides, release notes, system |
| Job skills: | | | | configuration guides, help files, API guides. |
| - Writing interface documentation including user guides, | | | | - Single-sourcing and structured authoring including |
| installation guides, quick reference guides, release | | | | DITA structuring and database publishing. |
| notes, help files. | | | | - Graphic, illustration, print-page and web design skills. |
| - No supervisory or management skills. | | | | - Leading projects as lead-writer and supervising one |
| - Optional: graphic and illustration skills. | | | | or more junior and senior writers. |
| Software skills: | | | | - Advanced print and online documentation project |
| - Microsoft Office Suite | | | | localization skills. |
| - Optional: FrameMaker (Unstructured) | | | | - Publishing articles in peer-reviewed professional |
| - Optional: Photoshop | | | | periodicals like STC's Technical Communication. |
| - Optional: Illustrator | | | | - Optional: serving as a Lead Juror in professional |
| - Optional: Help file editor (RoboHelp, Flare, Quadralay, | | | | technical communication competitions. |
| DoctoHelp, etc.) | | | | Software skills: |
| - Optional: Version control software (MS Source Safe, | | | | - Microsoft Office Suite |
| etc.) | | | | - FrameMaker (Unstructured and Structured) |
| Profile 2: Intermediate-Level Technical Writer | | | | - Photoshop |
| Time on job: 5-10 years | | | | - Illustrator |
| Job skills: | | | | - Help file editor (RoboHelp, Flare, Quadralay, |
| - Writing and editing interface and procedural | | | | DoctoHelp, etc.) |
| documentation including user guides, installation guides, | | | | - Version control software (MS Source Safe, etc.) |
| quick reference guides, release notes, system | | | | - Optional: Advanced version and content |
| configuration guides, help files. | | | | management software (Agile, etc.) |
| - Single-sourcing and structured authoring. | | | | - Optional: Dreamweaver and/or HTML coding |
| - Graphic, illustration, print-page and web design skills. | | | | - Optional: XML Editor (FrameMaker, Arbortext, |
| - Assisting projects as lead-writer and supervising one | | | | Oxygen, etc.) |
| or more junior writers. | | | | - Optional: Database Publishing editor (TEX, |
| - Optional: simple document and web site localization | | | | PatternStream, etc. |