Envisioning career paths in technical communication: A survey of participants in a technical communication graduate program

摘要

Technical communication is a relatively young field that is still evolving and struggling to define itself as an area of study and as a profession. Few longitudinal studies of technical communicators' career paths have been done. This paper reports the results of a survey designed to examine the career paths and perceptions of individuals completing master's level coursework in a graduate program in technical and scientific communication over a 25-year period. Summaries of the respondents' recommendations for students considering technical communication careers and faculty designing technical communication courses and programs are provided to help them in envisioning the future when planning curriculum and workplace strategies.