atw: Re: XML - a requirement for a TechWriter looking forwork?
- From: peterm_5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: snason@xxxxxxxxxxx, austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:24:23 +0800
>
>
>
>---- Original Message ----
>From: snason@xxxxxxxxxxx
>To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: RE: atw: Re: XML - a requirement for a TechWriter looking
>forwork?
>Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:19:28 +1000
>
>>I think some of you are confusing the art of writing with the act of
>publishing.
>>
I think this gets close to crystallising one of the main issues here.
Leaving aside the use of "art" as a term above, the point is that job
requirements-cum-expectations for people in various occupations (or
professions or guilds) continue to expand and change.
You can write beautiful technical documentation in plain text anytime
you want to.
BUT...
You are expected / required these days to know how to use what used
to be called a "word processor". Few employers want just beautiful
words in plain text format. They mostly wouldn't know how to
"publish" plain text and want someone to do the publication
preparation for them as an essential part of the job. (Some seem to
think the +only+ thing tech writers actually do is reformat stuff in
Word so that it looks nice.)
"Desktop publishing" skills have been required of technical writers
for decades now.
AND ... being able to use drawing tools and add diagrams to your
text seems to be listed fairly frequently in "criteria" statements
these days...
"Requirements" for jobs change over time, whether you think there's
some sort of demarcation dispute involved or not... There used to
be wharfies, crane drivers, truckies, storemen, packers etc on the
waterfront. These days, the jobs run into each other all the time.
And new ones are added.
Some of us are suggesting that similar things are happening for a
significant group of technical writers in areas such as
+ content storage,
+ structured authoring
+ content reuse
+ multi-language publication.
+ document control systems
+ knowledge management and content management systems
And this is extending in areas such as
+ documenting IT programs
+ systems configuration, and
+ inter-process messaging.
ALL of these are now domains in which XML is increasingly dominant as
a background framework.
Sure, knowing something about XML is not COMPULSORY for ALL.
Nor is knowing Word, or FrameMaker, or AuthorIT etc etc, for that
matter.
But what's a "requirement" in the future ? It's what employers are
going to want and expect.
A philosopher, Geoffrey, might suggest:
Basic skills are requirements, but not all requirements are basic
skills.
And of course, Nikki's original post actually asked about two things.
To quote her 2 key sentences in stages:
>I just thought it rather interesting that "Learn XML" is becoming
part
>of a requirement for a Tech Writer who is looking for work.
>Please can you let me know your thoughts on this...
And then:
>...and why you think XML
> is essential to being a Tech Writer.
Some want to deny the latter. I want to affirm the former.
-Peter M
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