5 Reflections from 2 Years of Technical Writing

Yesterday marked my two year anniversary of when I ventured into Technical Writing. I would love to say that it has been a wild ride but for the most part it’s been a normal career for someone graduating from college and entering the workforce. But normal doesn’t come without hard work, difficult decisions, successful projects, disagreements with coworkers, and a few R.L Stine-esque twists.

As I reflected on years gone by, the first thing that came to mind is that this anniversary is almost like a birthday. It’s close to a birthday because another year has gone by and I’m closer to getting grey hair. I like to think it will make me more distinguished one day. Hopefully, that won’t be the only distinction I’ll have from this career. Because I want to achieve much more.

I think it’s crucial to take a hard look at your career and reflect on where you’ve been, what you’ve done, and what you want to accomplish. From working two jobs in two different industries, I’ve seen some things crossover and others become polar opposites of in the field. I’ve narrowed down what I think are my five most important reflections from the past couple years.

Learning the Lexicon

Lexicon is the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge. I’ve noticed that lexicon varies depending on the industry, product, and sometimes even a person’s job title. Either way, it is mission critical to be up to speed on what the industry is using. Every time I have entered a new job/industry, the biggest uphill battle is learning the right terminology for the correct processes.

Starting out in software, I had no idea what an API was, what SQL did, or how to run an order through a workflow. In the automotive sector, I had no idea what a review copy, page proof, or DBL were. But in these experiences, I’ve been lucky enough to have been provided with enough literature and training materials to develop a solid knowledge base

Having dictionaries and other training materials supplement the learning process but are often not enough. The best way I’ve picked up on the lingo is by finding key individuals who are willing to take the time and explain the processes to me. This wasn’t solely quick sit down chat, demo, or an all-day training session — though they were certainly included. It was a mixture of everything, even the casual water cooler talk in the office.

My recommendation for aspiring Technical Writers struggling with learning the office speak is to find a mentor. That person might not be a team member, team lead, or manager. They could be somewhere that you wouldn’t expect to look. But you can always find someone if you look hard enough. I’m a firm believer that by rubbing enough elbows and showing enough initiative that mentors will follow. It’s worked for me so far.

Becoming Best Friends with Project Managers (PM) and PM Software

If Technical Writers are cogs in the machine, Project Managers are the wheels that get the machine moving. Project Managers haven’t necessarily helped me develop in terms of craft but they have made sure that any issues I’ve run into with a client get resolved in a fair and timely manner. Project Managers are the Gandalfs and Oracles of the office and rightly deserve those fictional designations.

One of the biggest benefits from establishing a relationship with my PMs is having someone who is able to give a definitive answer on a problem. Other companies I have been with have allowed problems to go unsolved for months — and sometimes even years. It’s devastating to be in that kind of situation and knowing from firsthand experience, it can stunt career growth. But by having a solid base with your PMs, you’re able to have the opposite effect and propel your career to new heights.

What goes side by side with PMs? The software they use on a daily basis. I’ve used Basecamp, JIRA, and a handful of internal applications. So far, I’ve enjoyed using the internal applications the most. This is mainly because they work perfectly with what I am currently doing in my position and give me all of the information I need on my projects. And that’s exactly what a PM software should accomplish. That’s not to say that Basecamp and JIRA aren’t great applications. If I had between the two, I would select JIRA because of the level of detail involved.

Having Someone or Something to CYA (Cover Your Ass)

Editors are essentially a writer’s seat belt. They’ve helped me develop as a writer, fix critical issues that could have created massive problems, and kept my butt in check from time to time. For the majority of my two years, I was a one man band when it came to reviewing content. After doing that for some time, some extremely dedicated and helpful managers helped me realize that it’s impossible to be a successful solo technical writer.

Now, I’m on a team of five amazing Technical Writers who all serve as ad hoc Editors. The larger part of having a team that is skilled in editing is that it makes it easier to please the client. We’ve caught countless errors, design flaws, and saved our clients time and money. At the end of the day, having Editors and/or outside editing review processes provide the CYA relief Technical Writers need, and ensure that we still have jobs at the end of the day.

Deciphering Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), Developers, and Engineers

Sometimes the most difficult part of getting a project out the door is taking the content from your SMEs and shoveling it on to a blank canvas. Rather than them providing the Mona Lisa, nine times out of ten I receive a Jackson Pollock. But, the good thing about a Jackson Pollock is that it’s still art and where there is art, there’s beauty.

I think back to lexicon. Developers, engineers, product managers, and sometimes even wonderful Project Managers have their own language. It can take some blood, sweat, and tears to sort through a poorly worded draft, a one sentence (or word) email, or a forgetful mind to figure what someone is trying to say. But this is a crucial part to the drafting process and long term material development. My advice to anyone struggling with working with SMEs is to have patience and spend time nurturing the relationship because you get what you put in. If that fails, then consult your management about getting SMEs who are dedicated to delivering the information you need and willing to invest the same time you are.

Knowing Limitations and Crushing Them

My career started to take shape after I was brutally honest with myself. I took a long, hard look at where I was and where I wanted to be. I knew my writing style wasn’t where it should have been. It wasn’t always consistent, it wasn’t polished, and it wasn’t propelling me into the next part of my career. Once I was able to accept my shortcomings, I was able to move on.

The hardest part of accepting failure is feeling like there isn’t anywhere to go. The kind of feeling you get when you feel like you’ve plateaued. My strategy for overcoming this was developing a detailed plan where I was able to create short term goals that ultimately added up to a long term goal. I like to think of this process as road mapping my future. Your ability to work hard and crush goals becomes a reality, even with the inevitable unexpected challenges that come along.

I could have went on for days about the lessons I’ve learned so far. But if there is anything that these last two years have taught me, it’s that Technical Writing is about twenty percent actual writing and about eighty percent dealing with people. I spend most of my days interacting with coworkers and solving problems on projects we have. Once the problem is solved and a plan is developed — the fix is usually nothing more than a couple hour’s worth of work. And all of these reflections have come from interactions with people in offices, conferences, work outings, etc.

Some of the best ways I’ve developed the soft skills to work effectively are through conversations with mentors, listening to interview style Podcasts (probably my favorite way), researching different strategies through articles on LinkedIn and Medium, and leveraging other online resources (such as writing blogs).

My final recommendation to anyone who feels like they are struggling is to take a second and write down your own five reflections of where you are now. After that go search from some inspiration of how to improve — it might be right under your nose. I’m excited for the phase of my career and to see where my soft skills and craft can take me. Here’s to the next couple of years!

—

This post originally appeared on LinkedIn.

Jarrett Weber is a Michigan based technical writer and freelance writer dedicated to sharing his insights with other professionals. Feel free to connect with him and send a message!