Turning Actions into Words
That summarizes my new position succinctly. Since last I posted, GE Energy Connections has become part of GE Power, and I have gone from a Production Team Lead to a Documentation Specialist. I am now working to create, update, edit, and manage documentation for our unit. I also happen to be the first of my kind at this site. While many people have generated documentation at our site, there hasn’t been a dedicated technical writer nor a gate keeper for documentation management. Every day is different and work will never be in short supply.
There have been many changes in process and procedure in the past year and a half that require documenting. As our production ramped up, necessary improvements were made in how our products were produced, and we are continuing to make improvements on the factory floor. I was given the opportunity to document some of those changes just before becoming Production Team Lead for our 2nd shift optical production area. Fortunately, when the 2nd shift was winding down and the Documentation Specialist position became available, I was able to point to those documents as evidence of my capability.
I work with engineers to create and edit documents for our customers, technicians to document their knowledge of manufacturing our products, management to determine needed deliverables and am creating processes that can be followed site-wide for document generation. Interacting with a majority of our business keeps things interesting and I enjoy helping one area to communicate with another.
The change to a proper day schedule is a welcome one. Going back to days allows me to have a more normal flow to my days and weeks. With this change in schedule I am taking the opportunity to go back to school. After much consideration, I am now enrolled in the Technical Communication program at ASU. Although my heart is in engineering, working full-time and trying to finish an engineering degree in a reasonable timespan are not compatible for me. I am grateful for the engineering core that I have in my AAS in Engineering Technology and I already know that this has given me an advantage in my current role. Technical writing allows me to be close to the technical subjects that hold my interest and puts me in touch with nearly every part of our business. Barring any major upheavals in my life, I should be able to complete my BS in about a year and a half.
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