I appeal to all my dear writer friends to be patient till you read the end of this mail and then may reply whatsoever. The reason for writing this mail is to put forth few real excerpts and insights that we face and come across in our professional life. Please note that this is not to hurt anyone but to understand where we are in terms of developing our nation as a whole.

Have you ever wondered how technical writers are appraised in a company?
Have you ever asked someone how technical writers should be apparaised?
Do you have any idea how your performance has been evaluated in a a company and what worked for you and what worked against you?

As a new member of TWIN, I thought I'd start things off with a rant. I haven't been through all the postings, but my eye was caught by the fact that several of the latest blog posts were talking of the end of the industry.

It seems as if every discussion list for tech writers is filled with doom and gloom. People post diatribes about the death of the industry, about the lack of respect for our skills, and they post these as if it is something new.

It isn't ... it isn't new and it isn't true.

Technical writing is an honorable and necessary craft.

A couple of weeks ago, I met a friend from college. We met after almost 15 years, and did what such meetings usually end up in - reminiscing over coffee. Some time during the course of our conversation, the friend remarked,

Is there any way you can know whether the interview you have attended has gone right or wrong?

There are both direct and indirect ways to know this. The direct way is to ask the job consultant what exactly is the feedback the company has about you after the interview. If it is positive, you will normally get a call for the next round of interviews.

Last night, I sat idly going through my jumble of jottings when this stopped me:

“What’s the rush?” Ask the cancer patient who has only a few months to live. Ask the AIDS patient whose body is shriveling. The ‘rush’ arises from our human compassion for our fellowman who needs help now.
—Professor French Anderson, Genetic Pioneer

I mused. Transitoriness of life and the impermanence of things made me philosophical. We all die, and with us our joys, successes, sorrows and regrets also die .

There's this old, wizened man back home in my native town. Let's call him Wajid Ali. He is the one who built the house that we live in. Why do we live in the house and not him? Because my grandfather owned the house and passed it on to his only child. Why did my grandfather own the house when Wajid Ali was the one to build it? Because grandfather got the house built, Wajid Ali was only a contractor who was paid to build it. At the end of the day, contractors do not own the houses they build.

I have often mulled upon the career progression for technical communicators. A technical communicator can always choose to write, review and publish through his/her professional life but there is significant risk of stagnation, because of three reasons:

Two years back, during an occasion I met one of my relatives. She was so curious to know why I am in search of Technical Writing job, after completing my MCA. Also, she was doubtful about the scope and whether I can earn a decent salary from this job.

With an optimistic face, I asked her....

Have you seen George Washington?
She replied, “No”.

Have you touched him (George Washington)?
(If the above question’s answer is “No” then obviously there is no significance in expecting this one’s answer.)

So, with out waiting for her answer I continued....

I would like to know the difference between Proposal Writer and Technical Writer.
Is there any difference between these roles?
I'm interested to know the difference, please any one can provide information.

-Vijay Gonela