From Journalist to Lone Technical Writer
by Karen Rokich
Q. How did you choose a career in technical communication?
A. I decided to become a writer while I was still in high school in Mason, Ohio. At the time, I knew of only two careers in which people made a living as a writer: novelist and journalist. Being pragmatic and poor, I chose journalism. Then one day, after having worked 13 years as a reporter, editor and columnist for various newspapers in the western United States, I finally heard of the field of technical communications.
Q. That must have been a memorable day. How did you make the discovery?
A. I remember the day very well. I was conferring with a colleague in CompuServe’s Computer-Assisted Journalism Forum. (Yes, it was a long time ago.) A corporate headhunter, who had been following our discussion on how to create political campaign contribution databases for our respective newspapers, sent me an email.
“Have you ever thought about becoming a technical writer?” she asked.
“What’s a technical writer?” I asked.
Thus began the correspondence that launched my second career.
Q. What was your first technical communication job?
A. Thanks to the headhunter, I became the lone technical writer for an industrial equipment manufacturer in Pennsylvania. I quickly learned that my journalistic skills were technical communication skills. I knew how to interview subject matter experts. I knew how to translate their frequently complex and jargon-filled responses into simpler concepts and language. I knew how to present information in a way that the average person could easily understand.
I also learned it didn’t hurt that my hobbies included illustration and photography.
Q. So how has your career evolved since that first techcomm job?
A. Since that day 15 years ago, I have written and illustrated numerous operating and maintenance manuals, technical bulletins, data sheets, white papers, technical articles, parts and equipment catalogs, marketing brochures and web sites. I have developed a technical publications department from scratch, helped oversee the merger of technical publications and marketing departments, and started my own freelance marketing and technical communications business.
Recently, I moved back to Warren County, Ohio, where I continue to produce whatever marketing and technical communications materials my clients need. So far, that has included everything from traditional technical publications and marketing collateral to press releases, trade show plans, technical illustration, animation, photography, web advertising campaigns and entire web sites.
Q. Has STC been part of your career journey?
A. Through it all, STC has helped me keep up with changing technology, add to my skill set, and learn how to set up and operate my own business.
I am still a lone writer. Now, however, I am also a lone illustrator, lone graphic designer, lone animator, lone photographer and lone web designer/content provider. Perhaps that, more than anything, illustrates how the field of technical communications continues to evolve.