Technical Writer for IBM Watson Health

I support internal and external users by maintaining a documentation library. I work on a team where everyone has their own set responsibilities, but we all work together to achieve the common goal of delivering simple, user-friendly documentation and training materials. Our documentation helps minimize the risk of mishandling data in the health industry. On a day-to-day basis, I regularly update and maintain documentation, learn internal tools, meet with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts), attend trainings, learn new technical writing skills, and develop continuing education and professional development materials.

During my time at GVSU, I completed several internships and worked as a writing consultant, which helped prepare me for graduation. After I graduated, I started working at a mid-size ERP company in Grand Rapids. There, I was introduced to the tech industry and got my first taste of all the complexities that come with real world application of products. I worked in this position for two years and tried to learn as much about technical writing as I possibly could during that time.

Once I moved from GR to the east side of Michigan, I took a technical writing position in the automotive industry. I wrote and designed the Quick Reference Guides for Nissan North America. A GVSU connection helped me obtain my current position that I recently started at IBM Watson Health.

The strongest impact that came from the writing major was working with students and professors. All the advising sessions and projects helped me learn how to work productively. The conversations, swapping of ideas, and hearing other people's opinions is truly a useful skill.

As for courses, document design, visual rhetoric and document design, multimodal composing, advanced web writing, and intermediate fiction were heavily influential for me. The classes that focused on practice and producing something from a written word still impact me today. I changed the way I write because of those classes.

The first piece would be to set a goal and do everything to obtain that goal while staying true to yourself. That may mean learning to endure the outside world (which can be unforgiving). It's easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day activities and lifestyle of the major, but preparing for what comes next is crucial. You need to act and get going; graduation approaches much quicker than expected.

Another piece of advice I would give is to find a source of informative reading material and keep reading. Reading is a crucial part of writing. If you plan on being a technical or professional writer—you can expect to read blogs, training materials, and articles that challenge the processes of corporate ideology. It's essential to learning new skills. If you plan on being a creative writer, the same advice applies. Your stories, ads, or other work will depend on what you are influenced by. Challenge the writers you're reading mentally. Think about what they are writing and why they are writing it.

Other pieces of advice would be to write constantly, complete internships, network, create a portfolio, and/or start a website. These will help give an extra edge when applying for new positions. You might also invest in additional learning: LinkedIn learning, Lynda.com, and YouTube are all great places to learn new skills. It's important to stay sharp and learn new authoring tools.

My last piece of advice is to be patient and enjoy the rollercoaster of life. When I graduated, I had a vision of how my life was going to go after college. Some parts, I had predicted for myself; other parts, I wouldn't have predicted in a million years. Try not to let life interfere with your progress as a writer—stay focused.