Why do I have to learn THAT?

Technical writers don’t need to be very technical really. In reality, many are gifted at a more niche ability, being able to translate complex ideas into easy to understand documentation. Many writers use one set of tools throughout their career, and might be averse to the idea of learning other ways of doing the same thing. Why learn XML, when I know DITA? Why learn DITA-OT, when I can use the nice UI in SDL LiveContent to do the work for me. Why would a technical writer need to learn how to code? Why bother?

It’s worthwhile noting that there are people like this in every discipline. I worked in sales, and some people didn’t want to learn new techniques. They were making sales by being pushy and domineering, but they weren’t building relationships, and they weren’t getting repeat business. We can all get stuck in our ways sometimes, but some people do so to their own detriment, and it kills their growth.

Why are you afraid of skills?

This is a hard but important question. Do you worry that you won’t be able to learn the new way? You learned the old way, which was once esoteric and probably scary. Why put yourself through that again? The answer is personal growth. Putting yourself out there, trying to learn something new, is good for you, even if you fail. Making an honest effort and failing is better than not taking the chance, and deriding the idea of even trying. As Jake the Dog in the “kids” cartoon Adventure Time put it, “sucking at something is the first step to becoming sorta good at something”.

Want to stand out?

You know who doesn’t stand out? Someone with nothing unique to offer. If you aren’t differentiating yourself from the people around you, you have less leverage in your career. It might make you feel like another cog in the machine, but it’s better to be a rare cog than an easily replaced cog.

Do you understand?

Is understanding something ever really bad? Maybe you have a separate Information Architect who takes care of all of the systems, and you just write the words in between the tags. Perhaps you have wonderfully giving engineers for colleagues, people who are more than happy to explain code, or set up environments or perform some other complex task. While it’s nice to have resources, don’t you worry that you are using systems and languages you don’t truly know? Understanding is a necessary part of proficiency, and proficiency makes work a less stressful experience.

Why be (perceived as) a Lazybones?

Lack of growth and an unwillingness to learn new things makes you look lazy. You will become known as the guy who doesn’t want to do anything new. Whether your peers let you know or not, they are silently judging you. Peers are good at that. You may think completing the work is enough, but it’s not. Without development and progression, you’ll stagnate and be stuck where you are now indefinitely. People will be unwilling to give you projects, promotions or simple praise. Children will laugh and point. Well maybe not the last one, but all the rest. 

So, as a New Years resolution, why not learn something new this year? Not for your boss, or to fulfill your mandatory training requirements, but for yourself.