We have discussed this subject many times in this forum. But still I can't help writing this.

A job email I received says that potential candidates must send samples, ideally a help file like document, as part of the filtering process. I feel this is mainly because of lack of faith in the skills of potential candidates, or a flawed market study about the skills of technical writers in Bangalore as well as India in particular.

"The IT sector should stop recruiting engineers from other branches, Infosys mentor N R Narayana Murthy said on Saturday." I read this in today's Deccan Herald. You can read the news report at this link:
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/80673/it-should-hire-only-computer.html

Do you agree with Murthy's statement? I feel that this is a deeply conservative statement incongrous with what is happening elsewhere. This illustartes the bias "computer engineers' have towards "non-engineers" in IT cos.

As a technical writer by profession, with myriad experience in writing for the IT industry, I strongly believe that IT-based documentation is an upcoming domain where more and more people should venture. In this blog post, I intend to share my observations on where and how writers with a technical bent of mind can be a part of and contribute to the IT-outsourcing revolution in India.

Yes, writers have to sell their skills in IT-organizations - not to get the job, but after they land a job in an IT-organization. While most IT-organizations are realizing the need for hiring skilled writers to handle their technical and organizational documentation, they are not fully aware of the potential of the writers they hire.

I have often mulled upon the career progression for technical communicators. A technical communicator can always choose to write, review and publish through his/her professional life but there is significant risk of stagnation, because of three reasons: