Certified Professional Technical Communicator Candidate Showcase

I’ve worked in the field of Information Technology for my entire career. My educational background in Computer Science enabled me to take several different paths in my career, including Unix system administration, software development, systems engineering in pre-sales for several storage companies, and management of partner engineers.

My current role is Senior Technical Marketing Engineer for the FlashBlade product at Pure Storage. FlashBlade is in a new storage category, unified fast file and object (UFFO), which is necessary to process massive amounts of unstructured data with modern applications.

I create content for various internal and external audiences, including blogs, white papers, and knowledge base articles. I also work with Marketing, Product Management, and Engineering to continuously test the technology to improve the product and customer satisfaction.

Our ultimate goal is to help people understand how our product can help them solve their business problems and make their lives easier and their businesses more successful.

I took a sabbatical from my previous career in the storage industry to consider what I wanted to do next. I decided to combine my love for writing with my knowledge of technology and make a career change to Technical Communication.

I purchased a book about getting started in technical writing and asked a few people for advice. On the advice of a former co-worker who was a technical writer, I joined the local chapter of the STC and got some great advice and support there. I took the STC Technical Communication Boot Camp course online and found out that I had much work ahead of me.

I enrolled in the UCSD Extension’s Technical Communication certificate program and set two goals for myself:

1. Get my certificate in Technical Communication from the UCSD Extension Program
2. Become CPTC certified

Certifications were integral to my work throughout my career, so I sought out what certifications were available for Technical Communication. Several instructors, both at UCSD and STC, recommended CPTC certification.

Certifications are a way to prove that I can learn material and apply it to solve problems. It is an endorsement of my commitment and competency.

I chose to self study. There was much more material to study and learn than I anticipated. Because I constantly had to certify for my previous jobs in the storage industry, I assumed that I would pass the certification test somewhat easily using only self-study. Looking back on it now, I would strongly recommend a training class to prepare for the exam.
 

The structure and planning phases of producing good technical content were the things that resonated with me the most. There is so much content to create in my current role, and the people requesting that content have different motives. I took away from the CPTC exam material the importance of imposing planning and organization into every project. It’s always very tempting to sit down and start writing and creating content to meet deadlines and expectations. But this often results in content that isn’t useful, doesn’t solve problems, and therefore goes unread.

While studying for the exam, I learned that taking some time to analyze the audience and plan and organize the content results in better, more helpful content. And I can still deliver it in roughly the same amount of time.
 

The skills and knowledge I have now enable me to see the bigger picture and ask essential questions at the beginning of a project. Also, I always find myself being an advocate for the audience. I ask myself, “What does this mean for me?” and “Why should I take the time to read this?”.

I apply this to the content I produce and users’ interactions with our product. For example, engineers often write the content for error messages in the user interface. Engineers use great detail to explain what is happening in the error message, but an end-user may not understand what the message means. The more knowledge a person has about how something works, the harder it is to explain things to a less experienced person. I learned how to advocate for the end-user to communicate more clearly in this case.

Yes, because I was working as a Technical Communicator before earning my CPTC certification, and receiving the certification opened the door to the opportunity for my current position.

I was working as a Technical Communicator while finishing my certificate at UCSD. After receiving the certificate, I started looking for other opportunities that were a better fit with my technical background.After passing the CPTC exam, I posted my certification on LinkedIn. I received lots of congratulations and support from people in my network. Someone I worked with about 15 years ago, and I very much respect, reached out to me to congratulate me on my success. He mentioned that his company was looking for a Technical Marketing Engineer and wondered if I’d be interested in that position. I interviewed at this company previously and did not receive an offer at that time. I sent my resume, applied for the job, interviewed, and received an offer. So, I would say that the CPTC certification was directly responsible for helping me find my current job.

After deciding to pursue a career in Technical Communication, joining the STC was the best decision I made to begin my journey. I attended my local chapter meetings and met many great people who were very generous in offering advice and support.At first, I had no experience or portfolio, and my previous employer took a chance on me as a technical writer based on a blog I wrote for the local STC chapter. That helped me build my resume and get started in the field.

The CPTC certification has given me a broader perspective on all the content I’m producing. I work cross-functionally with several teams, such as Engineering, Marketing, and Product Management, and my broader knowledge benefits everyone. I can advocate for the consumers of the content that we produce. I can make recommendations for better usability in the product’s user interface.

This certification requires study and preparation. Give yourself enough time to prepare, and I recommend taking a training course to prepare for the exam.

Certification is proof that you can apply your knowledge and is a worthy goal, and when you pass the exam, you can be proud of your accomplishment. I was fortunate that it opened the door to my next career opportunity.

Anne is a Senior Technical Marketing Engineer at Pure Storage based in southern California. She is passionate about showing people how the FlashBlade product can make their lives easier by solving the challenges of managing massive amounts of modern, unstructured data.

Anne has a range of experience in Information Technology, including software development, Unix system administration, and systems engineering designing data center solutions.A Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC), Anne holds a BS in Computer Science from Loyola Marymount University and a certificate in Technical Communication from the UCSD Extension Program.

Contact Anne Hempy on LinkedIn