Technical communication is most likely going to be the most difficult part of my professional career as a computer scientist. Writing for this field is similar to other fields since programmers are expected to be able to write documents that are easily understandable by the software users, and are readily usable with technical details for professionals. Programmers must write many documents directed at the non-technical audience which consists of text within programs, read me files, help files, manuals on software use, presentations for clients, and many more. Documents directed towards colleagues would consist of comments in code, memos, software documentations, software specifications, status reports, presentations, and multiple more types. Programmers are expected to be able to write to all audiences these many different types of documents; however, any student entering the professional world will undoubtedly find it to be a difficult task to learn to write to each type of audience.
Writing non-technical documents to users is probably the most difficult part of being a computer scientist because these documents require the ability to translate technical terms into easily understandable language. Non-technical users demand that information presented to them be understandable way which can be difficult. Finding the correct words or images to display to a user can be problematic because misinterpretation of the display may cause the user to become frustrated when using software. Explaining step by step processes through a help file is a part of the many files a computer scientist may have to produce for users, and some programming jobs require software to be described through presentations to non-technical users of...
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...on-technical and technical audiences can be a challenge for a programmer as they have to switch between a programming mindset and a writers mindset. Learning to do these writing tasks for multiple audiences will most likely start out with using information gained about writing in the classroom as a basis and slowly attempting to develop writing style for each audience. Technical writing classes attempt to give students a feel for the writing done at professional jobs; however, each job will vary on the type of writing, quantity, and audience. No matter how much writing is learned through education, no one can be perfectly prepared to write for any professional job from college courses alone. Obviously, writing technical documents can be difficult for new professional programmers, but over time they will learn the task by a trial and error procedure or practice.
Wardle, Elizabeth. "Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces." Wardle, Elizabeth and Doug Downs. Writing about Writing A College Reader. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin's, 2011. 520-537. Print.
In the professional discourse community, written papers or reports must follow specific instruction. Writing as a professional engineer requires papers and reports to be formal and precise, clear and concise, grammatically correct, and straightforward but easy for the reader to follow and understand the instructions. Engineers uses Memos a lot in their work in order to communicate with each other and to communicate with their supervisors. Therefore, they have to follow specific ways of writing so that they could be understood which states the importance of written forms in this professional discourse
Perhaps the foremost ethical question that presents itself to technical writers revolves around the question “What makes a piece of writing acceptable to one’s audience?” On the surface, this is a seemingly uncomplicated thought. Unfortunately, however, it is one that few professional writers attempt to answer. This question can be approached by remembering that the ultimate goal of any form of writing is to spark an interest in the reader that will cause she or he to want to follow the writer’s thoughts to the end of the work. One way to ensure that the audience will remain attentive is to refrain from offending those who have expressed a desire to read your words. This issue is largely a matter of ethics and one that can harm or assist one’s career in technical writing. Alienation of one’s audience defeats the purpose of the work that accompanied the research and writing of the text in the first place. If technical writers simply exercise empathy and remember a few ethical and commonsensical ideas, they will find themselves far more successful in their chosen field.
After four years in the Air Force as an Arabic cryptologic language analyst, it is impossible to ignore the significance of technical literacy and keeping up with technological innovations. I strive to not only increase and maintain my literacy in these matters, but to contribute meaningfully in the form of software development. While the Air Force champions flexibility and maintaining technological superiority, opportunities to be creative and experimental occupationally are limited, especially as a linguist. As such, I decided to pursue education full time with a primary focus on computer science and software, fields that demand, not simply provide opportunities for, experimental and creative thinking.
Debates on how a subject such as college writing should be taught is a multi-angled argument encompassing all sorts of opinions. Should college writing be taught and how? If we teach it, what should its main goals be? These are the questions that seem to have too many answers. Statistics, facts, research, and history will help us find those few, specific answers. I believe the goals of college writing should be to enhance a student’s literacy with the involvement of all forms of technology in a multicultural environment. A student must understand all forms of communication, negotiate under diverse perspectives and eventually come to their own set of beliefs. This can only be accomplished with a student’s exposure to and interaction with all forms of literacy.
This rhetorical analysis is on the instructions on “How to Use Adobe Photoshop Tools” from WikiHow and to critique the use of the six characteristics of technical communication and the measures of excellence in technical communication as stated by Markel in the ninth edition of Technical Communication.
In 2005, the City of Houston’s Bureau of Air Quality Control (BAQC) terminated the contract it had with a state agency, to conduct enforcement of state rules and regulations (Williams & James, 2009). Ranked consistently among the United States’ worst cities for air quality and pollution control, the previous collaboration with the state was ineffective with applications and processes that were cumbersome to maneuver through for both employees, entities, and citizens (Williams & James, 2009). The City of Houston’s BAQC implemented a new strategic plan, to internalize the functions the state previously handled, and included policy changes, better technology utilization, and most importantly, strategies for getting the community involved (Williams & James, 2009). The emphasis of this case study analysis will be on the technical communication aspects of the City’s plan to improve air quality.
Many scholars agree that technical communication, although considered a professional writing genre, could still be defined as separate from the communication used by business professionals (e.g. professors, business people, doctors, lawyers, etc.) To begin to understand writing in the workplace, one could start by defining what collaboration in the workplace is. Scholars Burnett, et al. describe collaboration in the workplace as communication that occurs across project groups, departments, divisions and other social configurations. This communication serves as a process that allows peers, specifically co-workers in this instance to interact and work together to achieve shared goals, both before and after the production of a text or document. Collaboration is important in the workplace because it enables social interaction amongst coworkers and encourages workers to communicate, help one another, and form productive relationships. Effective collaboration in the workplace has been proven to produce a happier, more productive
Imagine having a computer without running software. Computers would be slightly pointless without programs to run it. There would be no directions in the computer to tell it how to run, where to run, and what to do. A computer would have the ability to turn on, but a blank screen would be the only thing to appear on a monitor. I am sure that the question of "Who creates these programs?" has run through many minds in the past. These programs aid you in typing papers, connect you to the Internet, send information to other computers, or provide an interface for games that help to occupy your time. Computer programmers are the individuals that create and work with these programs. On a broad scale, computer programmers write the programs, test the programs, and then maintain the programs that millions of people use daily (Computer Programming 243-249). The every day duties of a computer programmer include investigating work requests from system analysts, understanding the problem and the desired resolution, choosing an appropriate approach, and planning an outcome that will tell the mechanism what to do to produce the desired results. Programmers must be experienced in high levels of mathematics, computer science, and programming languages. A programmer must also have experience with critical thinking, reading comprehension, and deductive reasoning. Programmers need to master these subjects, since they write in a language different from everyday English or French.
Such frustrating scenarios are not uncommon in the learning center. Developing and practicing effective personal writing skills is crucial for recording individual expression and communication, logging personal experiences and preserving a culture’s civilization (Powell, Harms and Barry, 2006). Successful Americans in all walks of life depend on producing clear oral and written communication. A survey of one hundred and twenty major American corporations (Powell, Harms and Barry, 2006) finds that approximately eight million employees must demonstrate strong writing skills for employee retention and promotion. Two-thirds of salaried employees in large American companies have some writing responsibility; effective communications via e-mail and PowerPoint are often job requirements (Needles & Knapp, 2004).
Mariani, M. "Computers and Career Guidance: Ride the Rising Tide." Occupational Outlook Quarterly 39, no. 4 (Winter 1995-1996): 16-27.
Communication is also a very important part of the work of any engineer. As Dr. Gunn states, “there is only twenty percent of actual engineering and eighty percent of writing and communication between co-workers and superiors.” Employers, as Paul Osterman points out in his essay “Getting Started”, “are not simply looking for technical skills.
During the course of this semester; the variety of writing styles and essays assigned to me in my communication skills class encouraged the development of my writing skills, as well as provided me with more self-assurance in my abilities. My writing, research, and presentation abilities enhanced through practice, determination, and the understanding I gained during this course. With every single writing assignment, I learned new innovative approaches and skills, which enhanced my abilities to improve my thoughts logically, enabling me to write more clearly, and to organize my papers more effectively. At the beginning of this semester; despite the fact that I already knew the terminology MAP: message, audience, purpose; I never really understood the significance of MAP. For this reason, my writing lacked clarity, organization, and my writings appeared less focused on the topics. As a result my research papers and essays did not flow as smoothly from one passage to the next. Furthermore, I was unaccustomed with the precise procedures used when writing an essay. For instance, my previous classes before college, although requiring a reference page, did not require me to include proper citations in my writings. After evaluating the quality of my writing toward the end of the semester, I recognized vast improvements in several areas of my writing. By concentrating on the beginning stages of my writings, I could distinguish ahead of time my audience and my message. As a result, my essays are clear, and I remain on topic. In addition to that using transition phrases efficiently also helps my writing to flow smoothly. The proper use of transitions makes my writings easy to follow from one topic to the next. I also learned that pre-writing...
According to The College Board’s recent study on the essentiality of effective writing in the workplace, “Two-thirds of salaried employees in large American companies have some writing responsibility” (Kerrey). If a college student plans on exiting college and obtaining a job, adequate writing skills will likely be required. The National Association of Colleges and Employers found in a 2010 study that “Communication skills are ranked first among a job candidate’s 'must have' skills and qualities.” So, the need to communicate well in a workplace makes adequate writing skills increasingly necessary for any potential member of the
Gerson, Sharon J. Gerson and Steven M. Technical Writing: Process and Product. Fifth Edition. Prentice Hall Education, Inc., 2006.