actual conversation from saturday
Oct. 7th, 2024 08:49 amCOWORKER R: So what did you do before?
ME: I was a tech writer for a bunch of software companies.
R: Oh, like documentation? Isn't that really boring?
ME: I mean, that's part of why I'm not doing it anymore.
R: Yeah, it's part knowing the tech, which is a real skill, and the rest is just admin work.
ME: Okay, I disagree pretty strongly with that.
R: I'm a program manager at a tech company, and we replaced three of our four writers with ChatGPT. The last writer just has to proofread it.
ME: This conversation is over.
I saw the writing on the wall a year and a half ago, and I have no regrets about getting out.
Maybe in another five years whatever parts of "the tech industry" care about documentation will realize that no, actually they do need real writers. I'm not optimistic.
ME: I was a tech writer for a bunch of software companies.
R: Oh, like documentation? Isn't that really boring?
ME: I mean, that's part of why I'm not doing it anymore.
R: Yeah, it's part knowing the tech, which is a real skill, and the rest is just admin work.
ME: Okay, I disagree pretty strongly with that.
R: I'm a program manager at a tech company, and we replaced three of our four writers with ChatGPT. The last writer just has to proofread it.
ME: This conversation is over.
I saw the writing on the wall a year and a half ago, and I have no regrets about getting out.
Maybe in another five years whatever parts of "the tech industry" care about documentation will realize that no, actually they do need real writers. I'm not optimistic.