Because I should, and because it's lunchtime and Friday

[tambyrd]

Monday I start a new job! W00t! I'm so happy to be switching into a position that might be described as "programmer writer". I'll be writing code, in ways that the programs we write can also serve as documentation, or augment documentation at the least, and writing tests for the code I write, and productizing the code, doc, and tests.

Whew, that

Comments

[ex_catherin85]

Excellent! Congrats! :-D

[tambyrd]

Thanks!

[teriegarrison]

I dunno. I think tech writing will make a come-back once it becomes clear just how much value good documentation actually brings to a product. Several development teams at my current company are already learning, to their shock and horror, what the difference is between a trained and qualified information developer and a writing hack who doesn't even have a good grasp of English grammar, much less anything else endemic to our job. But management doesn't care.

I have a job interview on Monday with a local company. Wish me luck!

Wishing MUCH luck!

[tambyrd]

(on the interview)

I totally agree with you, it's just that I've seen a lot more willingness to accept crap writing than I ever thought possible. Sigh. Our developers want US to put out quality doc but in small fractions of the time we need. Management doesn't care. And when they read on their own? The developers seem to accept all kinds of garbage. I've tried using the same sources ... it is rather difficult.

I'm crossing my fingers that, for this programming audience, the product we want to put together will be a more reasonable way to document stuff than just letting any old joe "at it" on a wiki (the big boss' idea of how to do doc).

[teriegarrison]

Yeah, a doc wiki. Sigh. Actually, I think a wiki as one tool is fab. Our big product has some pretty lame legacy doc (read that: few actual procedures), and my hope is that letting clients add procedures will give us a chance to nick their work, test what's appropriate, and get it into the real doc in a way we might not otherwise have time for.

But some of our managers want our doc to be housed ONLY on a wiki. They can't get it thru their skulls that a hell of a lot of our actual users don't actually have access to the net at work! So instead of making the doc more accessible, it'll make it even less so.

And I do know what you mean about a willingness to accept crap writing, but what we're getting is worse than crap and takes about 20 times longer for the writers to compile. That's what happens when you pay less than US minimum wage for 'knowledge work'. Sigh.

And thanks for the good wishes!

Good luck good luck!!

[muneraven]

I think tech writing is in a downswing and that it WILL come back once people realize how important it is . . .but I don't think it will look the same. I think we are heading down a path where those who cannot get their docs off the web will be shit out of luck. And I think it will probably change in ways I can't foresee yet.

But lame-ass people are always trying to cut corners when it comes to paying for writing because they don't really understand that it takes SKILL. people think they can write words so writing isn't really a special skill worth paying for. Which is like me saying I can take the battery out of my scooter so why should I pay a mechanic to work on it? Or I can cook hamburgers so why should I pay a chef for a fine dinner?

People is mostly stoopid.