Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Carliner

After several weeks of articles about the nature of professionalization, and whether technical communication is a profession, I feel like the Carliner article clarified the conversation for me. Until now, we've mostly been considering the question of whether technical communication is a profession, or not. It seemed like you had to fall on one side of the question or the other. I think Carliner makes the point that it's not so clear.

The issue can't be so clearly black and white because, as Carliner notes, different stakeholders hold a spectrum of views. It's just not correct to say that everyone is either fully on board with professionalization, or totally opposed to it. I have a feeling the position of quasiprofessionalism fits many people's perspectives, and these views aren't fully pro- or anti-professionalization. 

Many employers may fit into the position of contraprofessionalism. Why insist on external standards when your only concern is finding someone who can do the job you want? Likewise, many organization members (especially active ones) may champion formal professionalism, and the certification it encourages. This leaves a lot of practicing communicators whose own feelings may fall somewhere in between.

On a side note, I found Carliner's definitions to occupation and profession to be baffling. They're not only different from the uses we've read so far; they're practically inverted from what I'd expect. He even notes that what he calls an occupation is referred to as a profession in other articles in the same issue. While he notes that his terminology is different, he doesn't, in my opinion, justify it.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Hallier & Malone

I didn't appreciate the historical context of Light's essay when I first read it last week. I was able to read it in a contemporary context. That speaks to both the continuing challenges in the technical communication field, and Light's foresight in articulating them. As I'd expect from an accomplished technical writer, he explains his topic clearly and concisely. Hallier and Malone add context by shedding light (sorry) on the author's own life.

I wonder how much Light's extraordinary credentials played into his suggestions for professionalization. Five degrees is remarkable in any fields, and in any era. His career-long focus on health sciences may speak to the importance he places on a scientific background for technical writers. Focus on subject matter knowledge, as opposed to some general standards, has been mentioned as one of the challenges to professionalization of technical communication that we've read about.

Reading Light's suggestions in a 21st-century context, I think that a scientific background is just as important as he claimed in 1960. However, I see it as less of a preparation for writing in some specific field, and more as training in critically analyzing and translating scientific information in general. Clearly explaining some of the world's most opaque and esoteric knowledge speaks seriously to a technical writer's merits.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Light & Malone

I took away from the previous articles by Faber and Savage that there was no easy way to define professionalization, and that technical communication strove for that status, but hadn’t quite reached it. The articles by Light and Malone expand on these topics. Light makes a point of emphasizing how important status—specifically “professional” status—is to practitioners. I understand how both an inner drive for success and the desire to be recognized by others’ standards can increase satisfaction. It’s not unusual that technical communicators would want a status that improves how they feel about their work.

Malone’s article elaborates on how, not just why, technical communication organizations have strived for just such a status. I take from this extensive history the lesson that the effort to attain professional recognition itself can raise the very standards expected of professionals. While I’m as much a fan of Robert Hamlett’s term “publications engineer” as Light is (which is to say, not at all), I appreciate his Code of Ethics for Technical Writers. Such an effort is hardly trivial. It forces practitioners to think seriously about the value of their work, regardless of context, client, or company. All technical communicators adhering to such standards, no matter how basic, would undeniably be a step toward professional status.

I still can’t say that technical communication has achieved professional status. There is still a serious disparity between the expectations of technical communication societies and most employers of technical communicators. While I agree with Malone that the efforts of those societies to push for professional standards has yielded achievements, the fact that the effort is still unfolding tells me that some crucial piece has yet to fall into place.


Thursday, November 5, 2015

Job ad analysis

I analyzed five job ads for how their language, format, and content convey the expectations and requirements for applicants. These insights will help applicants write resumes and cover letters, and prepare for interviews appropriately for each position.

Attachment: Job Ad Analysis