A View From Number Two

My entry into the world of technical communication was like finding the end of the rainbow. After being home with kids and finishing my long-delayed English degree, I was looking around for interesting and well-paid employment. I started off working for a legal publisher, updating editions of Federal and state codes from legislative documents, which was not highly stimulating and which only paid seven dollars an hour. Next I tried my hand at freelance journalism, but found that chasing down creative ideas, marketing them, and then collecting what I was owed was more challenging than I’d thought. Then one day, a former coworker called to tell me about an assistant editor opening at the software company where she was now working. My mentally engaging, financially rewarding adventure in technical editing began.

Need the luck of the Irish in finding your technical communication job? This month, your chapter has something better than a four-leaf clover: the March Employment Panel. Kelli Pharo and Mark Wray, technical communicators with a combined 30 years of experience, will share ideas on what the industry is looking for and take questions on how to survive and thrive in the field.