ENC 3242, Technical Communication for Majors

WEEK 2: The PTC Profession

Presented by T. E. RobertsInstructor II, Professional & Technical Communication

University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM)

Fall 2015 Semester

Length of this audio lecture (10 slides): 00:38:45Write down the spoken audio codes and the slide numbers where they occur

-- you will be sending the Week 1 and Week 2 codes to mewith Assignment 1 via Canvas by Sept. 7, 2015, 6 p.m.

NOTE: To activate links in a slide presentation,view it using the “SLIDE SHOW” option in PowerPoint.

Course website: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/3242_welcome.htmCopyright © 2015 by T. E. Roberts

IMPORTANT: This lecture audio was originally presented in Fall 2014. Thus, you need to observe the dates in the PowerPoint slides for Fall 2015. (If you decrease

the mentioned 2014 dates by one unit, you will be OK – for example, Assignment 1 is due this year on Sept. 7, not Sept. 8).

Week 2 Agenda

• Outlook for Professional & Technical Communication (PTC) graduates

• Career guidance

• PTC curriculum at USFSM

• Three steps to finding a job

• Would you actually like the work?

• Assignment 1 tips and tricks

• Assignment 1 details

• Assignment 2 interviews

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 2 of 10

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 3 of 10

Career Outlook for PTC Graduates

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (http://www.bls.gov/home.htm)

• “Technical Writers” (SOC 27-3942): higher-than-average expected growth of 18 percent (from 48,900 to 57,800 positions)

• “Authors, Writers, Editors” (SOC 2703041 & 27-3043): average expected growth of 8 percent (from 281,300 to 303,300 positions)

• These are merely statistical projections for 2008 to 2018 - see BLS website for more detail.

• Also check Monster.com and other relevant links for additional statistics.

55,870Writers & authors

52,380Editors

53,190Public relations specialists

34,870Reporters & correspondents

$64,610Technical writers

Median annual salaries, 2011Source: 2011-2012 Salary Database, Society for Technical Communication

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 4 of 10

Career Outlook (cont.)

• Job opportunities depend on hard-to-control variables

• Right skills, right place, right time

• One’s own energy, work ethic, optimism, creativity, and ambition

• Willingness to work outside conventionally defined categories

• Eagerness to strengthen professional skills every day as basis for success and advancement

• Convincing clients or employers you’re a perfect match for their needs

• Important life choices require patience, humility, courage, energy, boldness, creativity, and other hard-to-cultivate virtues ... welcome to ADULTHOOD!

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 5 of 10

Career Guidance

• Mentors, teachers, colleagues• Apprenticeship, formal or otherwise, is essential in applied studies such as

professional & technical communication (PTC)• Take advantage of USFSM Writing Internship (required for the B.A. in PTC)• You can’t choose your genetic family, but you can choose people from whom

you want to learn

• Personal and professional motivation• Balance between solitary/social environment• Balance between intellect and passion• Balance between status quo and individualistic nonconformism• Love of language in all its dazzling varieties

• Constant curiosity (even to the point of driving others crazy!)• Autodidacticism (self-teaching): you are limited only by your wit,

creativity, motivation, energy, and opportunity

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 6 of 10

PTC Curriculum at USFSM• As of Fall 2013, students gained the option of a USFSM B.A. in Professional & Technical Communication• See this link for official catalog entry:

http://usfsm.edu/catalog/undergraduate/college-of-arts-and-sciences/academic-majors/professional-and-technical-communication/

• Available communication courses include the following:

• For details, see your academic advisor and this information flyer: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/PTC-major.pdf

COM 3110, Communication for Business & the Professions*ENC 2210, Technical WritingENC 3242, Technical Communication for Majors*ENC 3250, Professional WritingENC 3310, Expository WritingENC 3416, New Media for Technical CommunicationENC 4212, Professional and Technical EditingENC 4218, Visual Rhetoric for Technical Communication

ENC 4260, Advanced Technical WritingENC 4264, Managerial CommunicationsENC 4268, PTC Senior Seminar (capstone course)*ENC 4906, PTC Independent Study ENC 4946, PTC Internship*ENC 4931, PTC Special Topics

* = PTC core requirements (must be taken on USFSM campus)

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 7 of 10

Three Steps to Finding a Job

1. Performing basic (expected) tasks• Resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, writing/editing portfolio• Researching the usual sources (monster.com, proedit.com, USFSM Career Services, local want-ads, company

websites) and unusual sources (open to your imagination)• Doing in essence the same thing that other job-seekers do, but presumably in a more articulate and

effective way!

2. Networking with potentially helpful people• Social and professional contacts in the community and your personal circle• Informational interviews with area professionals (Assignment 2)• Personal blogs and websites, academic assignments, freelance work (build your portfolio every day)• See USFSM graduate Krista Schrock’s website as example: http://glazedmoon.com/

3. Using creativity and individuality• Working for free or low pay (interning or apprenticing) to gain experience• Aggressively pursuing freelancing opportunities to build portfolio• Seeking unusual professional/personal contacts -- think like a nosy reporter!• Volunteering to provide communication services to nonprofit groups• Editing existing communications to show what you can do (this takes nerve but works!)• Learning how to accept “no” graciously and professionally, then moving on• Read these links:

• http://www.todroberts.com/USF/Felice_CareerChallenges.pdf• http://www.todroberts.com/USF/Writing_Career_Tips.htm

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 8 of 10

Would You Actually Like the Work?• Try before you buy ... experiment on your own and with others• Look for unusual opportunities

• A/V media: check out the Science Channel and History Channel for good examples of technical communications for mass audience; see YouTube, Vimeo, TedTalks, and similar sites for what works and what doesn’t

• Consider how you would do a better job with weak, misleading, or incomplete communications

• DIY assembly instructions• Repair and maintenance manuals• Confusing software user guides• Government and military jargon• Legal & medical mumbo-jumbo for non-specialists• Advertising flim-flammery

• Among friends & family, are you the one who can solve problems and explain things? Do you think before you speak? Are you annoyed by imprecise, ungrammatical, uninformed, and inaccurate statements from others?

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 9 of 10

Assignment 1 Tips & Tricks

• Teaching requires a person to articulate ideas and techniques for another person ... a prime purpose of “technical communication”

• Don’t worry about creating a perfect assignment -- it is meant to be a learning experience

• See detailed written instructions: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/3242_Fall2015_Assign1_Directions.docx

• Test your ideas out on at least one person before completing your work (the scientific method is essential in technical communication!), and keep careful notes on what you discover.

• See examples of videos and student submissions at this link: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/technical_teaching.htm

• If you have not yet emailed me a description of your Assignment 1 topic, do so ASAP

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 10 of 10

Assignment 1 Details• Assignment 1 is due on Monday, Sept. 7, 6 p.m.• Send Week 1 and Week 2 audio codes in body of email to which you attach Assignment 1 (see

format in Week 1 lecture)• Send the work to me labeled this way:

• Lastname_3242_1.docx (for the text portion)• Lastname_3242_1.pptx (for PowerPoint slides)• Lastname_3242_1.??? (for audio or audio/video -- file extension will vary depending on format; use

YouTube for video if you wish)• If a file is bigger than 5mb or if you are using a video, post it on web for downloading or viewing

• Add the word “markup” at end of .docx filename (before the three-letter file extension) if you want optional comments and are willing to send a revision -- see instructions in syllabus (example: Smith_3242_1_markup.docx)

• Review thoroughly all material at these links:http://www.todroberts.com/USF/tech-writing-career-research.htmhttp://www.todroberts.com/USF/TechCommun_Chapter1.pdf

• Exchange comments with fellow students through the Canvas discussion forum if you wish (not a requirement); send question or comments for me via email, not through Canvas

• See existing student samples for guidance on how to format your assignment:http://www.todroberts.com/USF/technical_teaching.htm

ENC 3242, Fall 2015 • Week 2 Lecture • Slide 11 of 10

Assignment 2 - Interviews (due Sep 28)

• Research possible interview subjects who can provide insights into your individual career interests (explain your choices via email to me by Sep. 21)

• I will announce selected professionals to consider as soon as I have received confirmation of their availability

• As noted in the syllabus, students are urged to customize assignment topics to meet their own needs and preferences

• See useful career tips: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/Writing_Career_Tips.htm

• My own career background is summarized here:http://www.todroberts.com/USF/T.Roberts_CareerBkground_May2012.pdf