How Can Technical Writing Training Help Aspiring Technical Writers?
A career in Technical Writing in India took off in last two decades and it became a conscious career choice for job-seekers only in the past 10-12 years. Before that, almost all the technical writers in India found their careers in technical writing, accidentally.
Many aspiring technical writers are not sure why do they need training in technical writing. The common perception among the untrained and inexperienced writers is that all they need is a skill to write well to become good writers. Besides the gifted talent for writing, there are a number of things that need to be acquired through learning and practice. Here’s why they must go through an instructor-led technical writing training program.
- The Industry Needs Ready Professionals
Most first-generation technical writers in India are self-trained. They never had the privilege of getting trained by expert technical writers or technical writing trainers. The learning was primarily community-based and slow. Today, the industry knows what it wants from technical writers and the writers need to be on their heels as soon as they are hired for a job. A formally trained technical writer is equipped with all the knacks and tricks of the trade.
- There Is A Great Deal To Know Even Within The Niche Profession of Technical Writing
As they say, Technical Writing is a Niche. Yes, it is. But there is whole lot of stuff to be learned before one could claim to be a complete technical writer. There is so much variation in language tone, writing style, presentation for each type of documentation. The complexity does not stop here as there are scores of tools to work with. And you must know about where and how your document will be presented to your audience. It is your responsibility to ensure that your work is accessible to your end-users. An accomplished and experienced technical writing trainer would be certainly able to prepare you for those ‘tech’ challenges in technical writing.
- Everyone Wants To Grow Faster
Once you get the “technical writer” tag, you want to keep growing at a steady pace. This growth comes easier if you do not spend more time learning at your job. If you know your trade, you are likelier to be more efficient. In the long run, you will get bigger, better challenges that lead to a natural, smooth career progression.
- A Certificate Adds Weight
A technical writing certification will make you stand apart from the frivolous job-seekers who are not focused on technical writing profession. Your certificate will begin with making that distinction for you. Not just that, your interview will most likely be focused on what you learned during the technical writing course, giving you more opportunity to talk about readiness for the job.
- To Plan Career Growth, Better
Once you are an accomplished technical writer, you will be able to plan the next moves, better. There are a number of avenues that open up for experienced technical writers. You can decide to continue to be a technical writer throughout the career just for the love of writing or you can move into project management. With a technical writing certificate, you are aware of all the options and you can spot the opportunities of becoming a business analyst, domain expert, or a project manager. Be your own master!
- Learn What You Can’t
At your job as a technical writer, you will be asked to perform tasks in accordance with your key responsibility areas or project requirements. In that limited space, you might learn whatever you can but there will be a limitation. You may not even know your options of learning and trying out different skills within the ambit of technical writing. During a technical writing training course, you will get a chance to lay your hands on a variety of tasks that require different skills and knowledge of specific tools or techniques. So, you get to learn even what you may not get to do in a typical technical writing job.
- Mentoring And Career Guidance From Trainers and Peers
It always helps to have a mentor during those distressing stages of career when you need that expert advice on a career move or a technical solution. The trainers or the faculty members at the training institution often act as life-long coaches and gurus. The batch-mates during the training usually go on to become good peers as you tend to grow along with them through the career. With a set of professionals to help, you would never be short of bright ideas.
The reasons listed above are sufficient to speak in the favor of choosing to get prepared before you dash into a technical writing job. Ascezen Consulting offers certificate courses in Technical Writing, Creative Writing, E-learning, and Business content writing. Get in touch for details.