As many of you have already read, blogged about, and tweeted, the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its newest Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) in December and, as STC announced was coming in April, “Technical Writer” has its own chapter for the very first time.
“This is a breakthrough achievement for STC and for the profession of technical communication,” said STC President Cynthia C. Currie. “It is the result of a long-standing relationship with economist Richard O’Sullivan and our vision that technical writers (and all technical communicators) be recognized as the special breed of communicator they are.”
Click here to read or download the full STC press release, with quotes, a bit of history, and some comparison figures. Feel free to share the press release with any organization or publication you think might have an interest. Click here to review the Handbook‘s new chapter for Technical Writers.
At Last! 😮
After something like 50+ years we’re recognized as professionals.
This is great!
Colin
As an overseas member, this doesn’t help me at all. Directly. Indirectly, I just wrote to the labor office in Denmark and shared this information with them! I told them they, too, should recognize this profession so that we can monitor salaries, etc. There are many in this profession in Denmark, but they are hidden. We need more visibility. I’m not sure how long it will take to convince the Danes to get their act together, but I started something!
I especially appreciate the link back to our organization at the end of the chapter! The more exposure STC gets, the better.
What a coup! It’s long past due, but certainly something we can be proud of. The current STC office staff, the board of directors, and one very busy economist did everything possible to make this happen. I’m so proud of them all! The added chapter for our profession may take time to show up in H.R. offices and education programs, but it is an important step. It’s wonderful to be acknowledged!
This is very exciting to me. I recently decided to switch careers from journalism to technical writing. It’s nice to know the government now views technical writing as a legitimate field. Not to mention the government forecasts significant employment growth in the industry.
This is STC at its best! For the first time, a US government agency has taken a step toward us as communicators and recognized our unique, specialized contribution. What’s even better is that this can be the start of a dialog that leads to better definition of our profession and ultimately higher salaries.