Technical communication is a very diverse field. This makes it exciting, but it can also make it daunting to those who are just getting started. How do you choose a focus? What market sector has the most jobs? Should you try to find a full-time job or be a contractor? I spoke with several experienced members of our community, and here’s what I learned.

What sectors are major employers of technical communicators?

In BC, most jobs are in high tech, with the software industry topping the list, but there are other major employers both in and out of the high-tech sector. Here’s a quick reference:

High Tech: Computer hardware and software, networking technologies, telecommunications, biotechnology
Other: Government agencies, utilities, the legal system, education, health care, resources

For more information:

  Business in Vancouver (http://www.biv.com) maintains lists of the Top 100 and Fastest Growing Companies in BC.

  BC TIA (http://www.bctia.org) and Leading Edge BC (http://www.leadingedgebc.ca) can help you understand what’s happening in BC’s technology sector.

What can I do to improve my employability?

Lifelong learning is the cornerstone of a career in technical communication, so stay current with industry trends (content management is a big one right now) and know the tools that are in demand (such as XML).

Demonstrate your value to management (show how your work affects the bottom line). Understand their business and show how you can help them achieve their goals. Courses in business or economics might help with this. Courses in project management would also be useful, particularly if you want to work in a supervisory position (as a team lead, for instance).

In your résumé, emphasize the results (rather than the nature) of your work. What value did you bring to your client/employer? Use your cover letter, résumé, and portfolio as a showcase of your skills. Make them attractive and error-free.

TIP: Two major factors determining how much you’ll be paid are how technical you are and how specialized your industry is. Generally, more of either means more money, so develop some industry knowledge on top of your writing skills. For example, combine technical writing with information architecture, or technical writing with QA, or technical writing with content management administration.

What are the main considerations when choosing between permanent employment and contract work?

The biggest considerations are your personality and what you want from your career. Here’s a quick breakdown of the differences (you’ll probably know right away which one you like):

Contract work:

  Requires an entrepreneurial spirit. You must enjoy (and be good at) self-promotion.

  Pays better, overall.

  Offers more flexibility and variety.

  Provides little job security, and you won’t receive benefits.

  Is suited to specialized skill sets, because clients like to bring in an expert for one specific task.

Permanent employment:

  Offers job security and benefits.

  Suits team players. You’ll probably be lower on the decision making scale, which is good if you don’t have much experience.

  Ties you to a single company. Dangers here are boredom and dependency on the company’s fate.

  Is suited to balanced skill sets, because most jobs are at small companies that can only afford a single technical communicator (who must be responsible for everything).

With so many specializations within the field, from indexing to editing to writing to illustrating to online documentation, are there any reasons other than personal preference to choose one over another?

The short answer is no. However, there are some things to be aware of:

  Whatever focus you choose, you need to be able to demonstrate its value.

  You may want to build a balanced skill set, but don’t stretch yourself too thinly. It’s better to be excellent at one or two things than okay at six.

  Generally, editing and document production don’t pay as well as other areas.

Now, there’s no way anyone can think of everything, so I’m going to hand the power over to you, my fellow students. I’m sure there are questions I’ve left unasked, and I’m counting on you to ask them. Write me (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) with your questions and concerns, and I’ll go out and find answers or solutions.