How the Technical Communicator Certification (CPTC) enhanced my Freelance Writing career

My background is in education, and I taught physics for fifteen years before becoming a writer. When my wife and I found out we were pregnant with our daughter, I knew that I would want my daughter's passions and interests to inspire her career path. I realized that for her to learn this lesson, I would have to step up and be a model for this ideal.

I had always wanted to write for a living, so I made a lateral jump to a career in technical writing. I get all of the same joy out of being a technical writer that I did from being a teacher. I am always learning new things, I get to write about topics I love and that I am passionate about, and I get to work for myself. Today, I have numerous clients who are valuable, creative partners. I write about everything from robotics to veganism to the SaaS industry.

I am a member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), the CPTC Foundation exam is an important part of their credentialing process. With traditional career paths, employees may spend years with an organization, and that tenure lends legitimacy to an employee's CV. Freelancers, on the other hand, jump from client to client. As a result, even if I have partnered with someone for a long time, that longevity isn't necessarily reflected in my up-to-date portfolio. The CPTC Foundation credentials, and having the support of an organization like STC, provides freelancers with an organization and certification to stand behind your work and expertise.

I trained myself, but in addition to the textbook and some sample questions provided by STC, APMG had an entire practice exam on their site. The practice exam was, aside from the questions, a replica of the actual test. Going into the exam, I had a very good idea of what it was going to be like. I knew what to expect from the interface, the organization of questions, and how much time I had to answer each item.

The exam was fair, thorough, and a good test of the knowledge a technical writer needs to be successful. I loved that I had the option to take the test in my own home. APMG did a great job assuring the security of the testing location, and they made the process simple. The last thing you want on the day of an exam is technical problems. APMG made me feel comfortable about the whole process.

The rules on trademarks and copyrights were very relevant and interesting. Digital information sharing has changed the way we create, borrow, and protect intellectual property. I found the entire subject to be helpful.

Project planning, and particularly project management, is crucial to a writer. The whole industry centers around communication; however, I've found that we still keep a lot of information inside our brains. Even the best communicators might mistakenly assume that other people know what they are thinking. Project planning and project management are ways to share your process, ideas, and progress with team members in addition to the self-organizational benefits they offer writers.

I certainly have used the certification already. I have added my CPTC credentials to my CV, portfolio, and job pitches. On a more practical level, I used the information from the exam to create templates in my word processor that I can pull out and fill in based on my current assignment. Studying and preparing for the exam helped me organize my professional life and has saved me a lot of time already. I am no longer brainstorming outlines and organizational techniques in addition to the content. I can grab a format, fill it in, and work it to perfection from there.

I am a self-employed freelance writer, so my role hasn't changed. But I do feel more confident about my ability to organize my research and thoughts. In turn, I feel better about my final product because I know it's built on a solid foundation.

Absolutely! Teachers and technical writers share a lot of skills and job goals. Both are responsible for taking complex, technical information and breaking it down in a way that makes it accessible and applicable to a diverse audience. The lessons about organization, writing effectively, and how to see a project through from start to end are skills that any teacher would love to pass on to their students. I would honestly recommend this course for teachers.

I do. The exam levels, Foundation, Practitioner, and Expert, are aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy. The Foundation exam tests for the base-level skills in Bloom's hierarchy. The Practitioner, and soon the Expert, exam test for higher-order thinking. Aside from the benefit of having another level of certification, the process of preparing for the exam will help me grasp information in a more profound and complex way.

The value of a test comes from your ability to learn from your mistakes. It's not about passing as much as it is about critically reflecting on your understanding and learning. If you sit for the test, and you have honestly examined your weakest areas, you will surely pass. More importantly, however, you will have sharpened your skills, addressed your deficits, and reinforced your prior knowledge.