Zohra 0:08

Hello listeners. If you are curious about technical communications, then this podcast is for you. On each episode, I will interview a guest who will share the unique journey. This is Inside TechCop with Sahara Matabana. Let's get started. I'm honored to welcome today's guest, Sri Pattabi Raman. Hi Sri. Good morning. How are you? Hi, Zora. I'm great. Thank you. Thank you for having me on the show. Absolutely. It's my pleasure. I appreciate you joining me on a Saturday morning.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Oh, it's my pleasure. I love having a productive Saturday morning. So this seemed like a perfect opportunity for me to come and speak with you.

Zohra 0:52

Awesome. All right, Sri. So tell us a little bit about yourself.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

I am Sri Patabi Raman, like you introduced in the beginning. I work as a senior technical writer for a leading networking devices company. I specialize in creating user-centric hardware and software documentation. I've been a technical writer for almost 10 years. I have a master's degree in technical communication from North Carolina State University, and that's how I transitioned into the hardcore technical communication field and role in the United States. Previously, I was employed in India as a technical writer for a couple of years before I moved to the US to pursue my master's. I have a you know non-traditional technical background, like many other technical writers that I have seen in this journey. I hold a bachelor's degree in commerce, in accounting and finance. So I moved into technical writing from there. Apart from that, I am an active volunteer with Society for Technical Communication, the local Carolina chapter. And I have been a volunteer for over five years now, and I've held various leadership positions. And that's one thing that I am truly passionate about, and I love interacting with fellow technical communicators in the area.

Zohra 2:24

You know, Shri, while I was listening to you, your passion for the profession comes through. And I'm so honored to be talking to you because everything that you've said, right? That you've transitioned from BCOM from Bachelor of Commerce into technical writing, we are going to talk more about it. But I'm really I'm impressed and I'm excited because this is going to be a pretty fantastic conversation because of the transition that you've done and how you've grown in the career.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

I look forward to sharing my journey.

Zohra 2:55

Absolutely. Me too. A couple of things, you know, you mentioned that before you came to the US, you were a technical writer in India too. So since you were a technical writer back home, tell us a little bit about, and for the listeners who are listening to us, I'm also from India. So the phrase back home to me is from India. And I also came from India, but I was not a technical writer at that point in time. So give me a little bit of an insight into what technical writing is like in India today, or when you were a technical writer back then.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Okay, so when I was a technical writer, this was in 2011. And I worked for a large company that was actually based out of New Jersey, but they had an office in India. And in fact, my first job being a tech writer, I was part of a really large team. I think that's the biggest team that I have worked with, like so far. Yeah. We had at least a hundred technical writers throughout India. They had technical writers, and I think that's the largest number of technical writers that I have worked with so far in my career.

Zohra 4:08

Wow. Okay, that is a pretty stark difference.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

Yeah. So that was a service-based company, and the tech writing at that time was still evolving, at least, you know, as far as that company was concerned, into structured authoring. So at that time, we were still writing documents using Word, and probably some projects we were handling in RoboHelp, but there was, you know, we we had a style guide in place. You know, I would think for me personally, I was still not doing a lot of structured authoring that that I do today. And I think that's the biggest difference. The other thing that was very interesting when I started out was writing for web interfaces. That was one of the projects that I worked on. So early on in my career, I had the exposure to work with UX designers and usability testers. So I think that really helped me shape my outlook of uh, you know, viewing technical writers as an integral part of a larger group and not as a standalone group by itself doing documentation, but rather an involved group that works seamlessly with every other development group within the organization. And I have to, you know, definitely mention this that I've been extremely lucky and privileged to work with great managers. I mean, that I have to give credit to pretty much every manager that I've had, because I think leading by example, you know, when you see them strive for great documentation, that automatically transpires within the team. And having people to look up to and having that push from your immediate manager really helps in your changing your perspective and your outlook of not just the profession, but the whole holistic view of techcom in general. So I think that definitely helped me shape my goals and my aspirations towards being a technical writer.

Zohra 6:28

I couldn't agree more with you. You know, the experiences that you have early on in your career can really influence you in the right or the wrong way. It's nice to hear that you had some good role models and you got to work on some good projects. Like looking at the timeline, I kind of predate you. And uh, so by the time you entered the field, it looks like the field did have some structure to it in India. I want to go back in time. You said you have done a bachelor of commerce. And generally, the technical writers that I have talked to or interviewed, a lot of us have transitioned into this career. But they've either come from a journalism background or a communication background, or I have done an English major. Like that's what I did. You have done Bachelor of Commerce. Now tell us a little bit about how was that journey like switching from an accounting background, right? That's what you mentioned. Yes. To technical writing. Can you please share something about that journey?

SPEAKER_01 7:25

Yeah, certainly. I think that that has been an interesting journey. I mean, 12 years ago or 15 years ago, if somebody had told me that I would be a technical writer one day, I wouldn't have even understood the terminology, to be frank, because when I was doing pursuing my undergrad, I did not know any technical writers. But I will say this I was always interested in public relations. So during my undergrad days, I had the opportunity to be involved in public relations for my university, for the student group that was in the un part of the university. So that helped me write a lot. And I did have the opportunity to also take an elective, actually, a couple of electives, that was based on writing. And even though the course that I did was concentrated on accounting and the financial aspects of it, we still had courses that had heavy English involvement in it because the university where I studied, we had to mandatorily do IELTS level of English in the first year of the college. So you, you know, you do get exposure to writing clearly, concisely. And I feel that sort of laid a concrete foundation to be a good technical writer. So, you know, over the course of my undergraduate degree, I constantly had opportunities to do writing assignments. That coupled with electives that I took in the media and public relations program of the university definitely helped me, you know, develop my skills there. And then when I graduated out of the university, somebody that I know was mentioning, who was actually working in the company that I eventually ended up working in India, mentioned, oh, there is this group in my in my company called the documentation team, and they do something called technical writing. And I think you may be interested in that. And using the limited knowledge I had for writing at that point, I still went ahead and you know, applied for for a position there, and I still went ahead and went through the interview rounds, and I ended up getting the job. The great thing is I still had time to learn. Every tech writer has to go through sort of a mandatory training for a few months, and then they do test you on your skills. So you have to make sure that you, you know, clear the exam and stuff. But it was not traditional certification or a degree program, but it was part of the organization itself. So I think that was, you know, that there was good progression there, and that really helped me sort of develop my skills. And the other thing is when I started out, I had the opportunity to go and shadow tech writers from the team, senior writers. And then when you work as a junior writer in a project, you you're new to the field, so you have a lot of enthusiasm to learn more about it. So it's always nice to see other people, you know, do the job and learn from them. And you also get the opportunity to write a lot and you know develop your skill on the job.

Zohra 10:56

Yeah, I think again, that is a fascinating story because back in the day, I did not know that an undergraduate program in commerce had a writing component to it. So that's interesting to me that there was this exposure that you had, which was great. So it kind of prepared you, it gave you that grounding. So now it makes sense to me how you could straddle or rather borrow from commerce, but at the same time transition into technical writing. So you you would probably be good with numbers too, because I'm not. And I think that that might give you an edge if you ever got into the management side of things, probably.

SPEAKER_01 11:35

Yeah, I'm just hoping I still remember all the numbers that I studied many years ago. But yeah, I I do think I will have some exposure to management terminologies and you know, just principles of it.

Zohra 11:48

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking because I was interviewing another friend of mine, and you will hear about her in my episodes. She also came from an accounting background, and she's actually our treasurer. And I was the treasurer before her, and she definitely does some amazing things with those numbers. So, you know, your left and your right brain kind of develop together in creative ways, probably, which I need to focus on. But coming back to this discussion that we are having, you know, so it looks like you had a pretty good start. You had all the right influences, so to speak, to put you on a path to success. With all that happening, you went ahead and did a master's in technical communications from the US. What prompted that? Because I'm just curious, is it did you feel that you wanted not that you were lacking, but that you wanted to kind of really hone your skills? Tell us a little bit about what prompted you to get into a master's program.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

I definitely think one year into my technical writer position in India, I realized that I did not have formal traditional training in technical communication. And if I had to take that route and if I had to grow in my career as a technical writer, I definitely needed that formal training and understanding and sort of immerse myself in the process. And that was a big prompt. And the other thing was I did a lot of research when in India before you know making my decision to pursue a degree here in the US, what I realized was though in India they had um certification programs, there was no formal master's degree that was offered at that point. And definitely that was a big push for me to sort of look at other countries where technical writing as a profession was bigger at that point. And a lot of universities in the US had technical and professional writing program as a part of either their undergraduate or their master's program. The reason for picking North Carolina State University in particular was it is one of the most well-reputed programs in the country, and the program has been there for many years, and it helps that it is located in a place where there are a lot of tech companies. So there are a lot of technical writers in the area too, and they had this great balance of theory and practical experience with technical communication in this area. And I was fortunate that I got picked for the program and I had a great experience learning and you know, opening my viewpoint to the technical communication field through that program.

Zohra 14:44

Well, that was great information. You really played your cards well. You know, you looked at a lot of factors that would put you on a path to success. Now tell me, when you were applying for this program, was this a Master of Arts or a Master of Science? It was a Master of Science degree. I see. So I've heard that when you're applying for a visa for an MA Master of Arts, a graduate degree in arts, it may not be easy to get a student visa, but I did a master's as well, but that was an MA, but I was already in the US. So I'm curious, how easy was it for you to get a visa, or what was your approach once you had identified the program to try and get here? Can you share a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_01 15:26

Yeah, sure. I think it is very similar to a lot of engineering degree students who apply for engineering programs in the US. And it is a very streamlined process. And just like any other visa application, there is a lot of background checks and things like that. And at the end of the day, you can only make sure that whatever you're doing, you're doing the right thing, and you're giving the most honest and accurate information. So you want to make sure that whatever information you're giving for your interview and on your application, it is true 100%. I think that's the way to approach it. And of course, with universities, they do have a criteria for submitting your application. You do have to go through, and it's pretty common to all the universities outside of India or in the US, I would think, because I applied to five to six universities and I had to follow pretty much the same process for each university. And you need to start this process. If you are starting your course in the fall semester, you need to start it at least a year in advance because you need to write your examinations, qualifying examinations, and then you need to get certified because English is your second language in India, you need to make sure that you have a certification for that that you can communicate well with English. And other than that, you need to submit your statement of purpose, which is you you need to have the logic behind why you want to pursue absolutely. And if you want to apply for financial aids and things like that, you need to take those things into consideration. And so you need to constantly follow up with universities, or you need to sort of have a schedule in place where you're able to track your applications. And it's a very organic process because you need to follow these steps even before you can apply for a visa. And you need to make sure that you know, unless you get picked by a university and unless you get an invitation from a university, you cannot even, you know, think about applying for a visa. Absolutely. Which is true. Yeah, so yeah, so you need to go through all these steps before applying for a visa. So I think if you follow all these steps the way I think it does have a logic to why they ask all these information and things. And, you know, when you do that, then visa part of it comes pretty much at the end of you know. Absolutely.

Zohra 18:06

And I think this is what my question was leading to. I kind of kept it open-ended deliberately because I wanted you to share what that journey looks like behind the scenes. And thank you for sharing that because I thought I would you would have to start six months, but then I almost fell off my seat when you said a year, and I I can imagine why, because you have to, as you said, all the qualifying exams that you have to take. Was it GRE or GMAT? Did you have to do take one of those exams as well? I had to take GRE. You had to take the GRE.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Yeah. A lot of universities clearly mention in their applications or you know, in their program information for a master's degree what their expectations are. Some universities also mention about experience. If you have prior experience, if you can take uh credits from a certain course or things like that. Some universities they expect um, you know, I that people have a four-year undergraduate degree, which is equivalent to an undergraduate degree here in the US.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Right.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

Um so in my case, I had a three-year undergrad degree, but I had two years of relevant experience to the master's program, but I still had to get my credentials evaluated by a third-party organization to make sure that it, you know, I was able to prove that I was qualified and I had enough credits in my undergrad to pursue a master's degree.

Zohra 19:33

I am so happy that you made it. You put in a lot of effort as I'm listening to your story. You know, I've had somewhat of a same experience, but it was definitely harder for you, you know. You had to, I was already here. So anybody that is listening to this, any listener, my purpose in asking this question is I come from India. And if I have any listeners that are listening to this podcast from India and are looking at, first of all, what is technical writing and how can I make it there? Please listen to this full episode of Sri's journey, and it will give you so many kind of tidbits and pointers on how you can get on this path to success. I'm really having fun, and I hope you are too. I am, thank you. All right. So moving on, I looked at your LinkedIn profile, and you seem to have interned quite a bit here. Although you had this awesome experience back home from what you've shared, and then you did a master's, you did internships here. Did you have to kind of start from the scratch again here? How is that? What was that like after you graduated? Or were these internships happening while you were doing the program? Tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

Sure. So the internships that I did was while I was doing the program. Um, I did one internship that was a summer internship. And that really helped me so much to experience working in an organization in the United States. And I would say that, you know, I I have sort of been very lucky to experience working in various tech writing groups, and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with working as part of pretty much all the tech writing teams that I have worked with so far. So you did ask me about if I had to start from scratch, and luckily I didn't have to because I had experience in tools. You know, I had exposure to technical communication while I started the program. By the time I started my summer internship, I had already completed two semesters in the program. So that gave me a really good overview of theoretical approach to tech writing, as well as I had the practical experience that I had from India working as a technical writer. Now I was competing for positions with. Friends from my program. So I think there's always that friendly competition going on. And so for a lot of the interviews, people in the same program, we would exchange notes and we would say, Hey, did you see that there is this position open? And that's one thing that I love about this community. Even though there are so many technical writers, it is still well connected. And you're almost always certain that even though you may not directly know somebody as part of that a particular tech writing team, somebody that you may know will always have a connection to a fellow technical writer. Yes. And since I already had experience with tools, what I realized was even though the tools may be different when a job is advertised, but if you have understanding of the concept of a certain tool, then it would be easier to pick up the skills. And a lot of companies in this area, all they make sure that when it comes to an internship, that they are like giving opportunities to people to actually learn. And I had a great experience learning through my internship. Again, even for internship, the interviewing process is as serious as it would be for a full-time position because a lot of companies look for potential candidates. If they have a full-time opening that may come up in the future, then if you perform well in your internship, you could always convert that into a full-time opportunity. So having experience as a tech writer and having the theoretical experience from the master's program definitely gave me the edge over, you know, a lot of candidates to get the internship.

Zohra 24:00

Yeah, I think those are very important, valid points, right? We checked off tools, we checked off your updating your skills in technical writing. What about technology? What did you have to do about that? And the reason I ask is because you have an undergrad in commerce and then you did a master's in in your profession, right? But what about the technology component of it? Because you are doing, you're creating hardware and software documentation. So you may have had to update yourself on technology, which is a third component, so to speak. It's like a trifector. Can you share a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_01 24:37

Yeah, I definitely think having basic knowledge about the field that you're working in definitely helps. For instance, uh, now I'm in the you know networking hardware and software domain of things. And again, you know, in one of the jobs that I worked right after my undergrad degree, I had training on basics of networking. So it's always helpful to grasp information and familiarize yourself in the field that you want to go into. And I think that definitely it's not necessary that you have to be an expert, but having the basic knowledge and especially if you're going to be working in a development-heavy team, you want to make sure that you understand the language that developers speak, and you want to make sure that you are able to ask them the right questions when documenting uh procedures.

Zohra 25:34

I think you answered the question that I was going to ask. How did you prepare? And I think knowing becoming familiar, so you must have done some homework there. And it wasn't, it was definitely not a deterrent to getting a job because uh, based on what you just shared, you had kind of come prepared and you had prepared yourself in other areas. So this was not as much lacking because you were showing the potential to grow and learn in exactly.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Yeah. I think as as technical communicators, we are presented with so many opportunities to learn. And techcom as itself, tech writers can go into so many different fields as technical writers. So we have that opportunity to learn, and with so many resources available these days, right? I think it gives us a great opportunity to sort of constantly learn throughout our careers. So I think that's that's something that I, you know, have to keep reminding myself of. And that's something that I consciously do on a regular basis.

Zohra 26:34

Yeah, I couldn't agree more because our domains can change. Today you might be working in networking, and tomorrow you might be doing cybersecurity. So that's a whole separate domain. And the point here being that you have to constantly keep evolving and keep uh and try to keep yourself as much updated as you can. And if you know which field you want to get into, prepare yourself. There's enough material out there, there are enough resources out there that you can tap into. And you know, you don't have to go to school or do a certificate program. If you can, that's great. But absolutely, I think those are all some really valuable tips out there. Okay, so we're gonna shift gears here a little bit. Now you're in your career, you've graduated, you've got your job. I was looking at uh your LinkedIn profile and you have worked, you've used Dita. And I'm curious as to what in your world Dita means and what advantage does it provide you? And what tools do you use for data?

SPEAKER_01 27:34

So, data for me is you know structured authoring through and through. For people listening, if you're not familiar with the term DITA, it stands for Darwin Information Typing Architecture, where you are like dividing your documentation into having a proper structure and you are categorizing in a certain way. And DITA has really helped me look at documentation completely from a user's perspective because it makes me constantly think about reuse translations, how I can create content that is coherent to what the users might want to look at, keep searchability in mind. It sort of translates into a habit, you know, after a point, because that's day in and day out when you author content and data, you are like consciously making the effort to improve documentation that would benefit the audience to the maximum possible extent. Talking about tools, there are various tools in the market that use this data. On my job, I particularly use this tool called Oxygen. It is one of the tools that I have used for many years now, and I know a lot of companies that use this oxygen. I find it's very user-friendly, it's very intuitive. You know, our information architect at work has a great framework for it that confirms with the style guide that my company follows. And we are able to, you know, produce documentation that completely conforms to these norms and at the same time takes into consideration the principles of technical writing itself. Perfect.

Zohra 29:22

That helps me understand how you leverage data. But I'm gonna go one question deeper just for a little more understanding. You said that what I have understood about data is that there is the information architecture has to be very tight around it. So do you have a separate team that kind of works on how data is going to be used in your environment, or is it the technical writers that are also the information architects?

SPEAKER_01 29:48

We have a dedicated information architect for our team. That person adds a lot of structure and they decide how the information architecture works for our team. But we also have smaller groups within our team that will troubleshoot issues and constantly update. You know, that's something as organizations. I think, you know, having the flexibility to do that is something that will help us improve documentation over the course of time. One of the best things is I work in a very collaborative team. So tech writers always have the opportunity to bring forth if they have some issues that needs to be fixed, they can always bring that forward. Or if they have ideas, we always discuss that with the information architect. Or if you think, oh, this can be improved, I want to reuse this content in a different way. So you always have that opportunity to discuss that with the information architect and get ideas and sort of guidance on best practices to follow. So I think having that collaborative environment really helps you think of various ways in which you can use the potential of data to, you know, the benefit of your team.

Zohra 31:08

Oh yeah, I have never worked in a data environment except for a very brief period. And I did not know that there would be a dedicated information architect. So your team is in a is unique in that sense, and it's actually pretty cool that you have a dedicated information architect who thinks about the overall information architecture and how content can be, I don't want to use the word manipulated, but rather capitalized to be more useful, right? Uh and with all that you've mentioned content reuse, it's it's a big thing in our industry today. So it's uh it's it's very encouraging for me to hear that there is a dedicated information architect. Uh, because in every company that I've worked, the technical writers have also been information architects, so to speak. But it's probably different from you know, where you have data which enforces information architecture.

SPEAKER_01 32:02

Definitely. I definitely agree.

Zohra 32:04

Yeah. So I can see that big smile on your face. You definitely probably would have a lot more to offer to us. Since you've used information architecture in such an organized manner, you could have some really valuable input. And maybe we should have another podcast just to talk about what information architecture looks like in your world and how we could apply those principles to our documentation. But that's for another day. We've gone through quite a bit of your journey. And I also, again, there's a lot more questions that I could ask, but in the interest of time, I want to ask you I see that you've been using UX in your documentation, and you've also presented, you also talked about infographics, which to me kind of again, it's the user experience that comes into play. Well, what can you share with us about you applying UX principles to technical writing, or vice versa? What has that been like for you?

SPEAKER_01 33:03

I view you know UX as an integral part of how we write and how we present information, because if our content is not user-friendly, then people are not going to be able to get what they need out of the information that they are looking for. Even though I do not have a traditional background or training in UX, I have been part of usability test studies in the organizations that I have worked. And I have also been part of the local UX organization in the past. So that has given me an opportunity to communicate with UXers and sort of try to understand how they approach information. And I believe as technical writers, one thing that we can make sure is be active testers of content that is developed or the interfaces that's developed by UX specialists. So when we as technical writers, because you know, we have a lot of exposure to how audience may behave and think, so sort of putting ourselves in the shoes of our the users who will be using software or a hardware tool gives us the potential to help UX developers change or you know, give good feedback. You know, I think that's where, as a technical writer, that's where I see myself doing sort of giving them that valuable feedback that may help improve and structure the content in a different way. And uh the other thing is I am I'm a very visual person. So when it comes to usability, I want to make sure that I'm giving content to the users that is usable to its maximum possible potential. You know, I want to make sure that the content is not just usable, but accessible at the same time. Very good. Because more and more companies are advocating for accessibility in the content that you're producing. So I think that as a technical writer, I can make that effort and use my skills to make sure that the content stays usable and accessible to my audience.

Zohra 35:18

Now, these words that you mentioned, usable and accessible, we could have a whole again discussion around that, right? There are strategies and ways to make that content usable and accessible. But what you just brought to the fore is we have to keep this in the back of our minds and why we need to become integral players, like you've been saying, rather than being you don't want to be siloed, you want to be integrated into and collaboration so that you can derive value and provide value at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

Exactly.

Zohra 35:50

Yeah, so this has been a fantastic conversation, Sri, for me, because I have learned a lot of new things, especially about Ditto. And, you know, we've talked about a lot of things. Is there anything in particular that you would like to share? And this is again, this is my penultimate question to you because I'm going to have another question. But is there anything else that you would like to share about something that I may not have asked?

SPEAKER_01 36:13

If I have to just summarize the journey of being a tech writer, I would say it's a constant journey of learning and unlearning, because you know, you should be willing to learn and unlearn at the same time and not be afraid to unlearn something so you can learn something new. And that's something that has immensely helped me in my career so far. And that's something that I keep reminding myself not to, you know, push myself to unlearn something and you know, learn something new.

Zohra 36:46

Right. And I like how you've put a positive spin to it, learn and unlearn. So that brings me to the I said my penultimate question, but probably not. Everything that you've shared so far has been very positive and which is awesome. Has have there been any challenges that you learn from and that you would like to share with our listeners?

SPEAKER_01 37:07

Yeah, I think any career, any profession, there there are like always challenges in the background. And I think for me, the biggest challenge is was to make the transition from having a background in commerce and sort of jumping and taking that plunge into being a technical writer. Because I cannot deny that that I may have had self-doubts initially when I started out. And especially at the time when there were no formal degrees or programs in India, I kept constantly questioning is this something, is it the right thing for me? Having that faith and you know, having that push to sort of push myself to not doubt myself and steer myself in the direction where it can benefit my career, I think that has been a great challenge. And I the other thing that I have noticed is this is like 10 years ago, when I used to tell people that I was a technical writer, a lot of them had not even heard of the term. Right. And sort of educating people on what tech writers do, there is still a lot of misconceptions as to what technical writers do. And, you know, sort of educating people on that, that I think is a huge challenge, you know, sort of, and sometimes you have to speak up and you know make your voice heard in a room where um people don't consider tech writing as a profession or as a domain in itself.

Zohra 38:47

I'm absolutely 100% true. You know, that is the challenges that you shared. One was one when you broke into the field, when you and then while being in this profession itself, the misconceptions that exist and how technical writing, I think you said it beautifully, that technical writing is a domain in itself. It's a power-packed word. And I think that recognition has to happen. And for that, you need to speak up and you need to, I guess, stand up and take your seat at the table. And that's something that I advocate for, absolutely. So, oh my God, I couldn't agree more on that with you. We've had a conversation that has been packed, and we could unpack and do a lot more deep dive into. But this is going to be my final question for the day. What advice would you give to our listeners? Wow, that's a loaded question. That is a loaded question, and I want to end on a loaded question for you because you have a lot to unpack there.

SPEAKER_01 39:46

Like I mentioned before, don't be afraid to learn. And learning to me, according to me, is a lifelong process. And, you know, even though I have been in the field for almost 10 years now, I still learn new things every single day. You know, I think that's something that keeps the profession interesting for me because there is so much to learn. Again, as tech writers, if you have self-doubt, you may not have all the answers. But pick and choose what you, you know, your interests are, and don't be afraid to try it till you figure out what clicks for you. Because sometimes it may take a few years for you to figure out what your area of speciality is. I know that it's it's not always easy to do that, but just for your own self-development, don't be afraid to do that. Don't be afraid to ask for help because I have been in positions where I have like shied away from asking for help. But I can assure you that technical writers are some of the most helpful people that you will come across because that's who we are and that's what we do on a daily basis. So definitely, if you're you know looking to either become a technical writer or if you're already a tech writer, definitely reach out to fellow technical writers in the field if you have questions. And I'm pretty sure that even if they don't have the answer, they'll redirect you to somebody who can help you.

Zohra 41:20

Well said, Sri. Well said. I couldn't agree. I mean, of all the things that you said, don't hesitate to ask for help. I think that's a beautiful advice that's applicable to me and a lot of the other guests that I have interviewed, they have said that. Don't hesitate to reach out and tap into the community that exists. And on that note, Sri, this has been a fantastic conversation for me. I've had fun, and I hope you had fun on this show.

SPEAKER_01 41:49

I have it, it has been a wonderful morning spending time just going through this journey and a sense it has been sort of nostalgic for me to sort of look back because I don't think I would have gotten the opportunity to do that. Since you have invited me to your show, it has given me the opportunity to sort of look back in into my journey and sort of take a step back and look at it from a different perspective. That's nice to hear, Shri.

Zohra 42:17

I'm glad that it took you down memory lane. And I can see that smile of sort of a deep satisfaction on your face. That's what it appears to me. And I'm I'm glad that I could at least bring some smile to your face. And thank you for making my morning, and thank you for sharing your journey with us, Shri. This has been a great, great conversation. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please share on your social media to help me reach a wider audience. Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app, including Apple, Google, or Spotify. Follow us on Twitter at Inside Techcom or visit us at www.inside techcom.show for the latest updates. Catch you on another episode.