Communication Design Quarterly Jan 2019 Open Access

Evolving skill sets and job pathways of technical communicators

Nadya Shalamova Milwaukee School of Engineering ; Tammy Rice-Bailey Milwaukee School of Engineering ; Katherine Wikoff Milwaukee School of Engineering

Abstract

Recent research in technical communication (TC) indicates that the field has become more varied than ever in terms of job titles, job skills, and levels of involvement in the design and production process. Here, we examine this diversity by detailing the results of a small-scale anonymous survey of individuals who are currently working as technical communicators (TCs). The purpose of our survey was to discover what job titles people who identify as TCs have held and the skills required of those positions. The study was conducted using the online survey platform Qualtrics. Survey results found that TCs occupy jobs and use skills that are often quite different from "traditional" TC careers. Results further support previous research that these roles and responsibilities continue to evolve. However, results also suggest that this evolution is more sweeping than previously realized---moving TCs away from not only the traditional technical writing role but also the "technical communicator" role as it has been understood for the past 20--25 years.

Journal
Communication Design Quarterly
Published
2019-01-22
DOI
10.1145/3309578.3309580
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
OA PDF Gold
Topics
technical communication race and writing
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (9)

  1. McCullagh et al. (2025)
    What is in a Name? An Analysis of UK Online Technical Communication Advertisements
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Willers (2025)
    Lessons from a “Scholar on Fire” for a World on Fire: A Framework to Position T…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Palumbo et al. (2024)
    The Evolutionary Convergence of Technical Communication and Translation: An Int…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Willers (2024)
    Bridging the Accessibility Divide: Testing the Efficacy of an Accessible User E…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  5. Cosgrove (2023)
    Finding the Gap: A Comparison of UX Industry Practices and UX Course Outcomes i…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Show all 9 →
  1. Terry (2023)
    Entwining interactive fiction with technical writing to develop structured auth…
    Writing and Pedagogy
  2. Randazzo (2022)
    Bodies of Proof: COVID-19 and Unwitnessed Remote Work
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Miller et al. (2020)
    Social media in professional, technical, and scientific communication programs:…
    Communication Design Quarterly
  4. Ranade et al. (2020)
    Humanistic communication in information centric workplaces
    Communication Design Quarterly

References (46) · 15 in this index

  1. 10.1080/10447310903025552
     ↗
  2. Andersen (2014)
    Rhetorical Work in the Age of Content Management: Implications for the Field of…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Andersen (2014)
    Toward a more integrated view of technical communication
    Communication Design Quarterly
  4. 10.1145/2987592.2987631
     ↗
  5. Bingham T. && Conner M. (2015). The New Social Learning: Connect. Collaborate. Work. Alexandria VA: ATD Press…
Show all 46 →
  1. Brady et al. (2013)
    Static to Dynamic: Professional Identity as Inventory, Invention, and Performan…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Brewer E. (2017)
    A conversation with Ron Blicq: From aviator to technical communicator
    STC Intercom
  3. Brumberger E. (2015)
    The evolution of technical communication: An analysis of industry job postings
    Technical Communication Journal
  4. Carliner S. (2001)
    Emerging skills in technical communication: The information designer's place in a new car…
    Technical Communication
  5. Clark (2016)
    Content Strategy: An Integrative Literature Review
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  6. Cleary Y. (2017). Trends in technical communication in Ireland. In Crabbe S. (Editor) Current Practices and t…
  7. Frys B. (2017)
    A conversation with Jeffrey Hibbard: Reflections on a successful career
    Intercom
  8. Giammona B. (2009)
    The future of technical communication: How innovation, technology, information management…
    Technical Communication
  9. Grice R. (2001)
    A professional odyssey: An introduction to this special issue
    Technical Communication
  10. Henning et al. (2016)
    Reconsidering Power and Legitimacy in Technical Communication: A Case for Enlar…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  11. Hoffmann M. (2013). Towards an agile authoring methodology: Learning from the lean methodology. {Whitepaper}.…
  12. Hovde et al. (2017)
    Technological Literacy: A Framework for Teaching Technical Communication Softwa…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  13. Killoran (2013)
    How to Use Search Engine Optimization Techniques to Increase Website Visibility
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  14. Kimball (2017)
    The Golden Age of Technical Communication
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  15. Kynell T. (1996)
    Writing in a Milieu of Utility: The Move to Technical Communication in American Engineeri…
  16. Kynell T. & Moran M.G. (1996). Three keys to the past: The history of technical communication. Westport CT: G…
  17. Lanier C. (2009)
    Analysis of the skills called for by technical communication employers in recruitment postings
    Technical Communication
  18. Larbi N. E. (2004)
    When no one's home: Being a writer on remote project teams
    Technical Communication
  19. Lauer (2014)
    Technology and communication design: crossroads and compromises
    Communication Design Quarterly
  20. 10.1145/2666216.2666234
     ↗
  21. Maddux D. (2017)
    A Conversation with Don Cunningham: An "Idiosyncratic and Unpredictable
    Career. STC Intercom
  22. Meloncon L. (2009)
    Masters programs in technical communication: A current overview
    Technical Communication
  23. Meloncon L. (2013)
    Current state of US undergraduate degree programs in technical and professional communication
    Technical Communication
  24. Mirel B. (2002)
    B. Mirel & R
  25. O'Hara M.F. (2001)
    STC Annual Conference proceedings. Arlington, VA: Society for Technical Communication
  26. Potts et al. (2011)
    Contextualizing Experiences: Tracing the Relationships Between People and Techn…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  27. Pratt E. (2017 December 11). Trends in technical communication in 2018 and beyond. Retrieved from https://www…
  28. Pradhan S. (2017)
    A conversation with Stephanie Rosenbaum: Technical communication entrepreneur
    Intercom
  29. Pringle K. (2005)
    Has technical communication arrived as a profession
    Technical Communication
  30. 10.5555/2007456.2007457
     ↗
  31. Rice-Bailey T. (2014)
    Remote technical communicators: Accessing audiences and working on project teams
    Technical Communication
  32. Rice-Bailey (2016)
    The Role and Value of Technical Communicators: Technical Communicators and Subj…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  33. 10.1109/IPCC.2016.7740493
     ↗
  34. Slattery (2007)
    Undistributing Work Through Writing: How Technical Writers Manage Texts in Comp…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  35. Smith K. (2017)
    Rainmaker: A conversation with Ken Cook
    Intercom
  36. Spilka R. (2002)
    B. Mirel & R
  37. Amant (2003)
    Making contact in international virtual offices: An application of symbolic int…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  38. St.Amant K. (2015)
    Re-Thinking the context of technical communication
    Technical Communication
  39. U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (April 13 2018). Occupational outlook handbook: Technical…
  40. Whiteside (2003)
    The Skills That Technical Communicators Need: An Investigation of Technical Com…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  41. Wright et al. (2011)
    A History of the Future: Prognostication in Technical Communication: An Annotat…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
CrossRef global citation count: 10 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    “Is This Ethical?” New Data on the Ethical Principles and Practices of Document Design ↗
    Leslie Seawright; Amy Hodges; Timothy Ponce
    technical communication race and writing
  2. Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric Feb 2026
    Practicing Grant and Proposal Writing with a Community-Engaged Approach: Reflections of Emerging Technical Communication Scholars ↗
    Shyam Pandey; Robin Pate; Michele Herbert; Aresia Arthurs; Anna Woolley; Tameca Jenkins
    graduate education argument technical communication professional writing race and writing
  3. Communication Design Quarterly Dec 2025
    Visualizing Flint Lead Contamination Risks: Building a Critical Rhetorical Risk Visualization Ecology ↗
    Yeqing Kong
    rhetorical criticism technical communication race and writing
  4. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter
  5. Technical Communication Quarterly Apr 2025
    Social Problems and Racial Agendas: Analyzing the Structural Racism of Historical Urban Planning Documents ↗
    Joshua M. Rea
    technical communication race and writing