Lesson 2016:08

I love technical writing as a career.

The opportunity exists, each day, to string words together that help people. Little nuances matter.

I could have wrote "Each day, I have the opportunity to string words together so that people can perform their work quicker."

I could have wrote "I have the opportunity every time I sit at my desk to provide the information people need so that their work is completed quicker than if I didn't do the work I do."

I could have wrote "The opportunity, every time I write documentation, exists to make a difference. I can help people do what they need to do or find the nugget of information they need. Because of my skills and the experience I have, sitting at my desk and providing the means to help people doesn't feel like work in the sense of, say, a ditch digger or a tree planting person. It is fun. I am energized by it. Not because I receive compensation for doing it, though, yes, that certainly is important. Rather, I love doing my work."

When I sat at the conference table at the UIHC and expressed that to Bob (my manager) and Lee (his manager) and Joe (another HCIS manager), it felt like I have really found my niche in life. I am so blessed to love what I do and to provide for my family by doing it.