If you can write clear, concise instructions, then you can be a technical writer. Learn, step-by-step, how to turn your creative writing talent into a highly lucrative career, where you get paid big money consistently to use your writing skills.
Details the skills you need as a technical writer to create both printed and online content. This valuable reference describes the entire development process-planning, writing, visual design, editing, indexing, and production. You also get tips on how to write information that is more easily translated into other languages. You'll learn about the importance of following templates and about how structured authoring environments based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) streamline the content development process. This updated third edition features new information on the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) standard for structured authoring, and it explains the impact of Web 2.0 technologies-blogs, wikis, and forums-on technical communication.
Every complex product needs to be explained to its users, and technical writers, also known as technical communicators, are the ones who do that job. A growing field, technical writing requires multiple skills, including an understanding of technology, writing ability, and great people skills. Whether you're thinking of becoming a technical writer, just starting out, or you've been working for a while and feel the need to take your skills to the next level, The Insider's Guide to Technical Writing can help you be a successful technical writer and build a satisfying career. Inside the Book Is This Job for Me? What does it take to be a technical writer? Building the Foundation: What skills and tools do you need to get started? The Best Laid Plans: How do you create a schedule that won’t make you go crazy? How do you manage different development processes, including Agile methodologies? On the Job: What does it take to walk into a job and be productive right away? The Tech Writer Toolkit: How do you create style guides, indexes, templates and layouts? How do you manage localization and translation and all the other non-writing parts of the job? I Love My Job: How do you handle the ups and downs of being a technical writer? Appendixes: References to websites, books, and other resources to keep you learning. Index
From Simon & Schuster, The Goof Proofer is Stephen Manhard's guide on how to avoid the 41 most embarrassing errors in your speaking and writing. From the Introduction: "Because, I am a retired advertising executive and copywriter, I have written The Goof Proofer from the viewpoint of a communicator, not a teacher. It's not intended to be exhaustive; rather, it simply lists the most common errors, shows you what is wrong and what is right, and explains how to remember to avoid such goofs."
This second edition of The UX Careers Handbook offers you all the great advice of the first edition—freshly updated—plus a new chapter on critical soft skills, much more on becoming a UX leader, and a 17th user experience (UX) career pathway. The UX Careers Handbook, Second Edition, offers you an insider's advice on learning, personal branding, networking skills, building your resume and portfolio, and actually landing that UX job you want, as well as an in-depth look at what it takes to get into and succeed in a UX career. Whether your interests include design, information architecture, strategy, research, UX writing, or any of the other core UX skillsets, you'll find a wealth of resources in this book. The book also includes: Insights and personal stories from a range of industry-leading UX professionals to show you how they broke into the industry and evolved their own careers over time Activities and worksheets to help you make good decisions and build your career Along with the book, you can explore its companion website with more resources and information to help you stay on top of this fast-changing field. Not only for job seekers, The UX Careers Handbook, Second Edition, is a must-have for Employers and recruiters who want to better understand how to hire and keep UX staff Undergraduate and graduate students thinking about their future careers Professionals in other careers who are thinking about starting to do UX work Cory Lebson has been a UX consultant and user researcher for over two decades. He is Principal and Owner of a small UX research consultancy, a builder of UX community, and a past president of the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA). Not only a practitioner of UX, Cory teaches and mentors to help professionals grow their UX skills and conducts regular talks and workshops on topics related to both UX skills and career development.
From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together
"Own Your Tech Career: Soft Skills for Technologists" helps you get what you want out of your technology career. You'll start by defining your ambition -- whether that's a salary, a job title, a flexible schedule, or something else. Once you know where you're going, this book's adaptable advice guides your journey. You'll learn conflict resolution and teamwork, master nine rules of professionalism, and build the confidence and skill you need to stay on the path you've set for yourself. -- From publisher's description.
Covers the field of technical writing, providing information on such topics as building a portfolio, writing an effective resume, finding well-paying jobs, passing a writing exam, and creating a document online.
Transform your writing! If you're ready to empower your writing but are unsure of where to start, let Keys to Great Writing Revised and Expanded show you the way. Award-winning author and veteran writing coach Stephen Wilbers provides invaluable instruction on every aspect of the craft, from word choice and sentence structure to organization and revision. In this edition, you'll find: • Self-assessments to strengthen your sentences and paragraphs, evaluate your goals, and approach your writing with confidence. • Practical and easy-to-understand techniques for utilizing economy, precision, action, music, and personality. • Helpful tips and techniques for the writing process, including advice on prewriting, drafting, revising, and proofreading. • Exercises, checklists, and more to refine your writing skills. For more than a decade, Keys to Great Writing has helped writers of all experience levels infuse their work with clarity, grace, and style. With the revised and expanded edition at your fingertips, you'll have the tools to invigorate your prose and develop a unique and effective voice.