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.
You agree there is an appetite for professionalization of technical writing but you don't think it has achieved professional status. I think the readings have gone a long way to successful argue the framework and process toward this status. As you noted a few weeks back about the Savage article, the challenge to achieve professionalization needs to be met by the scholars in the field-- I think the history outlined in the readings for today suggest there has been progress in significant progress in the areas of certification, body of knowledge, the certification changes, the employment landscape and the public’s perception of the profession to mandate the respect of being considered a profession.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the effort toward professionalization raises the standards of the industry. Critical awareness of one's own work (as you put it, "regardless of context, client, or company") is necessary in the professionalization process, but I would go a step further. It must be a constant as professional status is achieved and maintained.
ReplyDeleteYour assertion that professionalization has not yet been achieved is a challenging one. I agree with you based on your example of disparity between practitioners and employers. However, the proliferation of programs in technical writing makes me believe it has achieved professionalization, and some are slower than others to recognize it.
I'm glad we've found a point of disagreement. It makes this much more interesting. I don't know how much this plays a part, but "technical writer" recently became my job title, and I have to explain the nature of my job to virtually everyone. I don't think I would have to do that if I were a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. The widespread cultural awareness of even the basics of those professions makes them (and therefore professionalism in general, as our readings define it) seem distinct from what I do.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote, "all technical communicators adhering to such standards, no matter how basic, would undeniably be a step toward professional status." I think you identified the precise moment when technical communication will become a widely accepted profession. Because professional communicators work in so many different fields and fill so many different roles within industries, I think that it has been hard for them to reach a consensus on what those standards should look like. However, I think the other criteria are in place for technical writing to become a profession once these standards are agreed upon, as is a common measure of these standards. After reading about the history of the profession, I am more confident that technical writing is on its way to becoming a profession within our lifetime. I also think the constant communication and interconnected nature of our modern society will make it quality technical writing increasingly critical for all kinds of organizations.
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