Why is a Technical Communicator Valuable?
After I graduated from my technical communication program in Winnipeg, Manitoba, I realized that many organizations did not know what a technical communicator is, especially in Winnipeg. Out of all of the provinces in Canada, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have the least amount of technical writing jobs. Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario have the majority of technical writing jobs. There are multiple openings daily, where Manitoba and Saskatchewan have an opening once every six months. It seems that Saskatchewan and Manitoba don’t know the value in a technical communicator.
So, what is a technical communicator? A technical communicator is a well-rounded professional that can be beneficial to any organization. They have the ability to communicate technical or specialized topics to a non-technical crowd. Technical communicators are commonly used to write manuals for a wide variety of industries, but are capable of doing so much more. They are trained in many different areas including writing, editing, instructional design and graphic design. They are also skilled in oral presentations, proof reading, interviewing, learning and teaching complex tasks and creating pamphlets, infographics, brochures, user guides and other professional documents.
Most companies in Manitoba look for people with a creative communications background, but don’t realize that a technical communicator can do the same thing. A creative communicator will be educated in one subject, whether it be public relations, journalism, or marketing. A technical communicator studies in all of those subjects instead of majoring in one. This is what makes a technical communicator valuable.Please don’t let your company go without the skills of a technical communicator. Interview one and find out what they are capable of because you never know, they might be the right fit for your company