A new chapter

Today I start a new job as a Senior Technical Writer at Extreme Networks in Morrisville, NC.

In the new job I move from a position that encompassed a number of roles — managing, consulting, training, writing — to my first love, technical writing. I also get to join a great team of people at a company that looks to be on its way up.

Will I miss the other roles? Not as much as you might expect:

• As I tell my students in the Duke technical communication certificate program, every technical writer should understand the whole process, from planning to publishing, and every technical writer should know the basics of project management. Many of today’s writing gigs are lone-writer arrangements, so writers need to be able to manage their own work. Even in a more traditional setup, the writer should know what questions to ask about translation requirements, the reviewing workflow, and other aspects of the job.
• I’ll apply my knowledge of content strategy in the new job, seeking to understand the company’s goals and strategy and then ensuring that my own work supports them.
• The consulting skills I’ve developed will come in handy, too. As a writer I’ll be better able to choose between options based on the only thing that matters: the value they add for the business and for its customers.

I remain available for short-term writing, editing, and training jobs. (And of course I’ll keep writing this blog.) But my primary focus will be on my work at Extreme Networks. I look forward to this new chapter in my career.