Doomed: Technical Writing

Yesterday, someone knocked on my cubicle’s imaginary door (done by saying, “knock knock” as you stand in the opening) and asked, “Can I ask you a technical writing question?” We chuckled, like it would be rocket science. “I have an assignment in my writing class at school and I’m not sure. Do you spell out enclosures at the bottom of a business letter?”

Huh?

Come to find out, this teacher of hers – first semester teaching at her school since transferring from Ivy Tech ( need I say more) – is lumping all non-creative writing into one and calling it technical writing.

Bloody fantastic. Way to go, teach. Way to bring an entire field’s rates down. Thanks.

I’ve never written a business letter, but I want to now. I wonder: do you spell out YAY-HOO or is there an abbreviation?

Again, not that technical writing is rocket science. It’s not. But, the few of us who actually have serious and lengthy technical backgrounds should be offended by what’s happening to the field. We should speak up every time someone lumps us in with secretaries. If not, we’ll all be fighting for $20/hour jobs soon. That’s when I start handing out straws and asking for folks' side item choices.