Brooklyn College TW110 Starting a Technical Writing Career: Schedule for student

TW110: Starting a Technical Writing Career
Schedule Page for student_name

This is your main working page for TW110: Starting a Technical Writing Career in Brooklyn College's Technical Writing Certificate program. Use this page to find out what to name your files, see when projects are due, and go to the online textbook and resources for this course. See the syllabus links following the schedule for information about objectives, required and recommended books, grades, and other resources. (Exact units and sequence of units may vary slightly from instructor to instructor and semester to semester.)

Although most of the links have been removed, the following course schedule gives you an idea of what we'll cover in this course. (Remember that this is an 8-week course.) When you are ready, return to the Brooklyn College Technical Writing Certificate Program course listing.

On all quizzes, please select Brooklyn College as instructor.

This course starts mmddyy.

Your instructor is instructor_name at instructor_email.

Click the units you've completed and then press Send. Remember that this tracking chart is for your convenience; the instructor uses other information to determine whether you've done adequate study to pass this course. If you mistakenly mark a unit as completed, contact your instructor (or just wait until you've actually completed it.)

To review which exercises and quizzes you completed, go to the checker.

Check	Project (Use these links to see project details.)	Due date	File names/comments	Completed
	What is a technical writer? Explore the types of writing and other work that technical writers do, where they work, what their backgrounds and skills are, what they make, how they like their profession. Interview a professional technical writer and write a profile.	mmddyy	Use the online form to add your profile of a technical writer to the website for this course.
	Technical-writer resumes. Study and evaluate resumes for technical writers, design your own, and have it critiqued by your instructor.	mmddyy	Use the online form to enter your evaluations of technical-writer resumes. Then, create your own resume, name it yourname_resume1.doc (if you use MS Word), and send it to your instructor as an e-mail attachment. (Name revisions resume2, resume3, and so on.)
	Technical-writer portfolios. Study and evaluate portfolios for technical writers, design your own, and have it critiqued by your instructor.	mmddyy	Contact your instructor on how to go about this portfolio project.
	Organizations and technical writing. Study organizations in which technical writers work—both in terms of the writing organizations in which some work and the larger organization in which they or their technical-writing organizations exist. Explore the organizational dynamics that lead to a successful technical-writing careers and successful technical-writing work products.	mmddyy	Use the online form to enter your description of an organization involving technical writing.
	Finding employment. Learn where to search for technical-writing jobs, how to assess job descriptions, how to assess the job and the company, what to ask for.	mmddyy	Use the online form to enter details of employment announcements.
	Telecommuting and working freelance. Learn how technical writers work remotely from their employers—in other words, how they "telecommute." In addition, learn the basics of operating as a freelance technical writer. Find out how to get freelance work, bid on that work, write a documentation proposal, protect yourself, and handle your finances as a freelance technical writer.	mmddyy	Use the online form to enter details about telecommuting and freelancing.
	Book or article review. Read a book or article about the technical communication profession, about technical writers, or some closely related topic, and then write a review of it.	mmddyy	Use the online form to enter your review.
	Professionalism and professional organizations. Explore the various professional organizations devoted specifically to technical writers and technical communicators, the benefits they provide, their view of the profession, professional-ethics considerations, and more.	mmddyy	Use the online form to enter a summary of your research on a professional society related to technical communication.
	Mock competition judging. Engage in a mock writing competition in which you judge entries in a particular area of technical writing (online helps, print user guides, etc.).	mmddyy	Use the online form to evaluate mock-contest entries.
Note: All work in this course must be complete no later than mmddyy.

Syllabus

Objectives

Be able to define technical writing and technical communication as a profession, citing the range of work that writers and communicators engage in.
Know some good design principles for technical-writer resumes and portfolios and develop these essential professional tools.
Understand the various ways that technical writing is incorporated into organizations and the various organizational roles that technical writers play.
Know some strategies for finding full-time or freelance employment as a technical writer, how to prepare for interviews, and how to assess employment opportunities.
Be familiar with the professional organizations devoted specifically to technical writers and technical communicators.
Partake in a mock writing contest as judge and contestant.

Grades

A: All studies and projects completed and approved by your instructor.
B: All studies and projects completed and approved by your instructor except for one of the units after the portfolio unit.
C: All studies and projects completed and approved by your instructor, except for two of the units after the portfolio unit.

Contact your instructor concerning credit for projects you have completed but are still not approved by the time the course is over.

Books

The following book are recommended; but none are required:

Gerald J. Savage, Dale L. Sullivan. Writing a Professional Life: Stories of Technical Communicators On and Off the Job. Longman. ISBN: 0205321062.
Michael Bremer. Untechnical Writing - How to Write About Technical Subjects and Products So Anyone Can Understand. Untechnical Press. ISBN: 0966994906.
Alan S. Pringle, Sarah S. O'Keefe. Technical Writing 101: A Real-World Guide to Planning and Writing Technical Documentation. Scriptorum. ISBN: 097047332X.

Resources

Career resource page. Books, articles, listservs, job sites, advice, forums, and more.
TECHWR-L articles. Lots of articles on all aspects of the field.
Technical Writing, Help Authoring Tools, Jobs, and More. Good general collection of links and articles.
Writer Write. Plenty of good articles!
computerjobs.com: Technical Writer Jobs. Good resource links also.
EServer TC Library. Super collection of links related to all aspects of this field.

Table of contents for the Online Textbook.
Policies for courses in the Brooklyn College Technical Writing Certificate program.
Online Technical Documentation site search facility.

Course Evaluation

Use the course evaluation form to give your opinions on the effectiveness of the study materials and organization of this course. (This evaluation is strictly optional, strictly voluntary.)

Information and programs provided by hcexres@io.com.