Technical Communication Program FAQ

Our Technical Communication Program is ideal for those who want to make a shift to a technical communication career. It will also be very useful for those who are already working in the technical communication field and looking for a formal certificate to enhance their knowledge and career prospects. No prior technical communication experience or education is necessary, but a good command of the English language is a must.

Our Technical Communication Program includes four compulsory courses that have been carefully designed to give you a well-rounded overview of a career in technical communication. Each course deals with a different aspect of technical communication. The certificate of completion can only be obtained after all the courses have been completed.

Some of the topics covered in our Technical Communication Program courses include:

• What is a software development life cycle? What is a document development life cycle?
• How do you decide if and when a document is complete or ready for release?
• What are the key features of a successful document? How do you structure a document around these features?
• What is audience analysis, and how does writing to that audience make your documentation easier to understand?
• Is documentation just hype, or does it really work? Can it provide a return on investment for an organization?
• How do you ensure accuracy and precision?
• What is the "grammar of graphics"?
• What are the effective techniques for interviewing subject matter experts, developers and engineers?
• What are style guides, and how and why are they used?
• How do you master the art of writing good instructions?
• What are RFBs, RFPs and RFIs, and why is the ability to prepare procurement documents such a high-demand skill?

In each Technical Communication Program class session, you can expect a combination of theory and lecture, group or individual activities, and some presentations. You will need to schedule an average of two hours for assignments and self-study per week. The final grades are determined through a combination of assignments, class participation, and (in some cases) tests. Marks are awarded not only for the correct answer but also for the reasoning and justification used to find a solution.

Our COMM 9093 Technical Writing and Analysis course is a prerequisite for the other three Technical Communication Program courses and must be completed first. Once you complete COMM 9093 Technical Writing and Analysis, the rest of the courses may be taken in any order. However, we recommend that you complete the courses in the following order:

• COMM 9093 Technical Writing and Analysis
• COMM 9134 Technical Writing for Product Documentation
• COMM 9627 Technical Editing
• COMM 9158 Technical Documentation: Advanced Concepts

You can take more than one course per term if you wish to complete the program quickly, but we strongly recommend that you allow yourself enough time to do the assignments required for each course.

You must obtain a course exemption or Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) to get credit for a course in our Technical Communication Program.

If you take one course per term for four terms, you will complete our Technical Communication Program in less than a year and a half. You have the flexibility to take gaps between courses, but you must complete the certificate within three years. We do recommend that you avoid long gaps between your courses in order to ensure a smooth flow of information from one course to the next.

Yes. However, each Technical Communication Program course has several assignments, and we do not recommend overloading yourself with several courses at the same time, especially if you are working. For the best learning experience, we suggest not enrolling in more than one course at the same time. You may wish to discuss your specific situation with and seek advice from our teachers or department staff if you plan on taking multiple courses at the same time. Contact the Continuing Education Liberal Studies department to be put in touch with the appropriate teachers.

No. However, while there is no formal Technical Communication Program placement program, most teachers are very well connected within various industries and can provide you with suggestions for your job search. Companies do occasionally contact us about hiring students who have completed our certificate. Technical communication teachers, current students, and alumni also participate in a group mailing list that you can join. Members of this list share job openings and other interesting events related to technical communication. Events may include special guest lectures and presentations by leading technical communication professionals organized by George Brown College or other professional organizations, such as the Society for Technical Communication.

You will work on various assignments in each of your Technical Communication Program courses. Some are designed to help you develop your portfolio while others expose you to aspects of technical communication that you may address in an interview. Creating an effective portfolio (including what to have and what to avoid) will also be discussed. You will also have the option of working on your resumé, LinkedIn profile, or portfolio (traditional or electronic) and submitting it as a course assignment. After receiving teacher feedback, you will be encouraged to submit a job application using your completed resumé, profile, or portfolio.

No. Although there might be some discussions about grammar-related topics, grammar is not the main goal of our Technical Communication Program. The main focus is on concepts, processes, and typical deliverables in technical communication.

Yes. The field of technical communication has a lot of transferable skills and can benefit you in a variety of scenarios. The concepts learned in our Technical Communication Program can be applied in many practical situations and can help improve your overall written communication skills.

The courses in our Technical Communication Program provide you with a better understanding of how various documents should be planned, structured, written, reviewed, edited, and maintained. You'll begin to appreciate writing as an art and not just something you have to do. Throughout the program, you will examine documents – including reports, proposals, requests for proposals (RFPs), technical documents, guides, procedures, glossaries, and project documentation plans (or similar) – that are used in a variety of settings and industries.

Yes. The Technical Communication Program can give you

• a fresh perspective. Working in the same environment over a long period of time can sometimes hamper creativity. Our courses allow you to gain new perspectives, tools, and techniques from your peers and help you learn about what's going on outside your world.
• the opportunity for career growth. Regardless of your experience, some organizations need you to have formal education in order to be considered for continued employment or a promotion. Our certificate of completion is recognized by many organizations in a variety of sectors.
• theory to back up your experience. Learning on the job is good, but theory can answer a lot of open questions you may be struggling with. What you see in your workplace may be a customized technique, but knowing how the wider industry approaches a similar issue may enhance your overall understanding.

Yes. Our Technical Communication Program will be very helpful if you supervise a team of writers and editors. Discussions on performance matrices for writers, the design and implementation of end-to-end edit, and review cycles and the integration of reviews with defect tracking will present you with many different options for ways you can take your organization and management skills to the next level.

Technical communication is a big industry, and companies in all sectors need communication professionals. With the amount of available information constantly increasing, information needs to be presented in a way that is efficient and logical – that's where many businesses must rely on a technical communicator. Technical communication has many branches and, while they are not all the same, they have many transferable skills. Some of these branches are:

• Technical writing: This is the generic name for the documenting that is used in a variety of sectors (such as manufacturing, automotive, food and beverage, consumer electronics, IT, and supply chain).
• Content writing: This involves writing for the web and may be a mix of technical writing and creative writing.
• Software documentation: This is documentation specifically for the IT industry (hardware and software).
• Instructional design: This is the area of training and development that involves creating performance-based learning solutions through various mediums (such as in-class, self-paced, e-learning, and social media).
• Courseware development: This is related to training and development and involves defining and creating syllabuses, courses, and outlines. This information forms the basis for the electronic training material created by instructional designers that may be placed on a learning management system (LMS).

Salaries vary depending on years of experience, industry, company, and employment status (full-time employee versus consultant).

• Average annual full-time salaries can range from $30,000 to $80,000+ (for junior to senior writers).
• Average hourly rates for consultants can range from $20 to $70+ depending on the length of the contract, client, and type of entity (sole proprietor or incorporated).

You do not necessarily need a degree in English to be a successful technical writer. However, you should have very good skills in the language you will be writing in. Depending on the nature of the work, companies usually prefer their writers to have an educational background in English, mass communications/journalism, or engineering and sciences. Degrees, diplomas, and certificates in computer-related and other technical areas are also common among today's writers.

For more information about our Technical Communication Program, attend a Technical Communication information session or contact the Continuing Education Liberal Studies department at 416-415-5000, ext. 2092, or celiberal@georgebrown.ca.