Ask the Recruiter

Q. By the time I graduate in six months, I will have under my belt two internships with local weeklies. I have been offered a position as a technical writer/editor for the Army. I would edit technical manuals that soldiers would reference when repairing vehicles. I would get paid very well and receive government benefits and pension. You know, commodities that are said to be scarce in the news business. I would continue freelancing.

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Three years from now, would recruiters look favorably on that kind of experience, albeit for manuals and not for a newspaper or magazine? While I would value the experience of explaining complex technology, I'm not sure that recruiters would look as favorably on it as they would on, say, that of a full-time reporter for a daily. I don't want to do technical editing forever. I am too creative for that. But I am wondering if it, coupled with freelance work, could be a good stepping stone for my goal, which is to write/opine full-time for Slate-like publications.

Thanks,

One of Your Former Students

A. There are many kinds of writing. Technical writing is important and can be difficult. But it is not journalistic writing. The experience would be of marginal help in getting you anywhere

Joe Grimm

journalistically.

The precision, detail and straight-down-the-middle writing demanded of technical writers is even further from Slate-style edginess than it is from straight journalism. While the discipline of technical writing can make you more analytical and accurate, it will not be enough to help you keep up with classmates who spend the next three years in journalism.

What you really need right now to pursue your journalistic goal is an internship or job with a daily newspaper, magazine or Web site.

Get "Breaking In: The JobsPage.com Guide to Newspaper Internships" as a book or download for strategies on making the transition from school to jobs.

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Coming Monday: She wants to post articles and photos she wrote for her employer on her personal Web site. However, she has been warned that this is a federal crime. Is that true?

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