Elizabeth Meissner
Cal Poly - B.A. English, 2004
Other degrees/certificates:
Technical Communication Certificate
Current city/state:
Santa Barbara, CA
Employer:
Green Hills Software
Professional Website:
Job Title:
Technical Writer
How Long in Current Position:
5 years
Brief description of position duties/responsibilities:
I write, edit, and proofread technical documentation that's intended for an audience of embedded system developers. This requires collaboration with software engineers, with other technical writers, and (occasionally) with our marketing department.
In addition to the creation of new documentation and the maintenance of existing documentation, I've completed large-scale organizational projects, trained two technical writers, and troubleshot and resolved technical problems involving our documentation system and production.
What specific qualities/abilities, skills are necessary for this position:
- Attention to detail
- Knowledge of grammar rules
- Mid-level computer skills
- The ability to:
- Analyze and organize unfamiliar information
- Formulate and ask questions
- Interact well with others
While at Cal Poly, what resources did you take advantage of that have helped you in your current position:
- The technical communication certificate program
- Cal Poly's Information Technology Services (ITS), where I interned as a technical writer
What advice would you give to someone interested in your profession?
Take a few beginning-level computer science courses. An interest in the material coupled with an English degree means you could enjoy a career in technical writing. The knowledge gained will also help immeasurably in an understanding of your future subject matter and audience.
Contact:
My email address is elizabeth.meissner@gmail.com.