Biggest Challenges Faced By A Technical Writer At A Global Software Company

I've had a couple of obstacles with understanding how things work in tech writing. At my old company, it was really different, and at my new company, the way people organize themselves is also very different.

The learning curve for a tech writing job is really difficult for the first six months. You want to get through at least one full cycle of publications first and foremost. This means you have to go through a publishing cycle, write content, and publish it before you can feel like you've done your job. Otherwise, it always feels half done.

Once you land your first publishing cycle, things are good. You've done the process once, and what repeats is the structure you publish on, the people you work with, and how you gather information. But in that first part, you're understanding your products and the people who manage them. You're also learning writing guidelines and style guides.

You're understanding new information, your products, and their various quirks. You're also learning about a bunch of little side tasks that come up. The first half-year in a tech writing position, before your first publications, is really challenging. But once you land on your feet after that, you're good to go because you can do it again and again.

You'll just get better and develop your own strategies. Then, you can improve anything you're struggling with, especially if you have receptive management to improve your publishing cycles.

Another thing is humanizing tech environments and remote work environments. There's no coffee pot to go and chat with people at. You have to go out of your way, call somebody, or visit in person to introduce yourself and humanize things a bit more.

I found myself getting a little anxious at my current company because I had never met the people I was working with. I have an anxious and perfectionistic personality, and without an in-office place where people could reassure me that I was doing things on time and submitting good work, it was harder. I also like to read a room, and in a remote environment, you're primarily working with yourself. If your company doesn't turn on their cameras, it's harder to connect. I've been struggling with digital interpersonal skills. Socially, it's easy, but in a work environment, it's been very different. That's been a challenge.

Also, understanding expectations. There's the academic effort I can put forward, and then there's what needs to be done, which doesn't need to be perfect. It's hard to understand what people are asking, and I'm trying not to overdo it or underdo it. It's about what they need and what they are expecting.

Getting that image of what people are looking for is what I'm trying to work on right now as a tech writer. I don't want to just take my imagination of what they want and run with it, but fully understand what they need, the situation for it, and how much effort to put in. You can't be firing on all cylinders all the time, or you'll burn out. So, I'm trying to understand engagement effort and how much effort to put into everything.

Lastly, there's general work-life balance. You can edit something forever. You can even do it an hour or two later to help yourself sleep better. But I'm trying to be able to sleep better without truly overdoing things.