"Back to school" round-up

September is here, and students are headed back to classes. To recognize the technical writing and technical communication students, we wanted to do a round-up of questions generally about "advice to students."

Round-ups are where we ask our community (that's you!) a few questions, and share everyone's comments in an article. You can think of our round-ups like a "panel presentation" in article form.

Can you share one or two paragraphs with your advice for any of these prompts? We'll share the results as articles on Technically We Write.

1. Students need to learn tools that they will use in their career. What's one tool you would recommend that students learn how to use?

This could include word processors, text editors, GitHub, or any kind of digital writing tool. Or you might recommend a collaboration platform or shared design platform. We want your advice for the tools you use.

2. Students also need to know how to use technologies in digital writing. What's one digital writing technology that students should know how to use, by the time they graduate?

There are lots of digital writing technologies you might recommend, including HTML, DITA, Markdown, and DocBook. Share the technologies you use most.

3. Students want to know what kinds of skills technical writers and technical communicators use all the time. What's one skill that you use a lot?

Your advice is probably specific to you and your role, and that's great! There are lots of different ways to contribute to technical communication. Your answers might include "I manage websites, so I need to know about SEO" or "I need to know about website hierarchy and organization" or "I need to know about document design" or "If you can get stuff done, you'll be valuable."