English Department

MA/MS in Technical and Professional Writing: Alumni

The conceptual aspects of my information development training constantly come up at work, and my team often looks to me for advice and suggestions thanks to my PSU education.

Joseph Manuel (2019)

Through the PSU Master’s in Professional and Technical Writing program, Joseph Manuel was able to transition from marketing to a career in technical writing. Joseph is currently a Technical Writer at Marquam, assigned to their Amazon account. His work consists of updating the user guide for internal project management software and creating help topics for users. He is thankful to the program for thoroughly preparing him for all the different types of tasks and responsibilities his job entails, including researching, interviewing, creating visual aids, editing, and project management. Joseph says that, “What the Master’s of Professional and Technical Writing program really taught me is how to plan, execute, and finish a project from start to finish.” Other useful skills that he learned in the program include topic-based authoring, Madcap Flare, and differentiating between concept, reference, and task documentation. Joseph recommends that students stay up to date on the latest technical communication technologies and branch out if they can. “I have worked with a lot of designers and developers, and if you can sharpen your design skills (specifically with the Adobe Creative Suite) and/or learn skills in web development it should increase your job prospects.”

Cathy Heslin (2017)

As a professional who had worked in the graphic design field for years, Cathy Heslin decided to attend PSU for the Master’s of Technical and Professional Writing program while concurrently getting an MBA. She is now a Senior Technical Writer at Schrödinger, a scientific software company, where she leads the company’s Documentation team. Looking back, Cathy highlights the usefulness of learning XML as well as the practicality of the technical-based coursework as key points, stating that, “I had imagined I would focus on the ‘professional’ in the Technical and Professional Writing program and work in Marketing, which I did, but I found that a technical writing position calls for just as much design and creativity while also offering the opportunity to develop technical skills working alongside the software developers and scientific experts.” Cathy encourages students to supplement core program courses with electives in graphic design, social media, digital marketing, or a personal field of interest to help round out their professional portfolios.

Aaron Thayer (2015)

Aaron Thayer is a Lead Information Developer at Smarsh, a SaaS company based in Portland. His job responsibilities include working on software products, developing the company's editorial style guide and review process, and coaching junior technical writers. Aaron was able to gain valuable knowledge and skills through the Professional and Technical Writing Master’s  program that set him apart from other candidates early on in his career. In particular, he appreciated his courses in information architecture and content strategy, commenting that "The conceptual aspects of my information development training constantly come up at work, and my team often looks to me for advice and suggestions thanks to my PSU education."

Aaron also credits the program with teaching him how to:

  • See multiple paths to solve a documentation problem.
  • Put the end user’s usability in mind.
  • Focus on business limitations within an organization’s vision and available resources.

Tony Andersen (2014)

Since finishing the PSU Technical and Professional Writing program, Tony Andersen has become the director of marketing and public relationships for Lifeafar, located in Medellin, Colombia. Tony manages a team of six, who are responsible for international exposure, boosting occupancy rates for vacation rental portfolios and attracting global investors. The biggest takeaway for Tony from the program was learning, as he calls it, “The number one most important lesson for professional writers: less is more and say it better.” Tony encourages students to not only hone their writing skills, but to sharpen their graphic design skills as well, in order to stand out beyond other writing professionals. For current and future students, he advises staying active within the program and recommends using every class as a stepping stone for the future.

Melissa Amos (2010)

Melissa Amos is an experienced technical writer with a passion for crafting useful, compelling communication. She's currently employed at Puppet Labs, where she documents enterprise software, consults on user interface text, and helps develop standards and processes for the technical publications team. Previously, she worked at McAfee/Intel Security, where she served as lead technical writer for an enterprise mobile product. An interest inventory she took as an undergrad suggested technical writer as one of her top career choices; she didn't pay attention at the time, but stumbled into her dream job anyway. 

For Melissa, PSU’s Professional and Technical Writing program helped her to: 

  • Build a strong foundation of technical writing principles. 
  • Customize a specialization -- usability and information architecture that fit her  interests and career goals. 
  • Make connections with other technical communicators. The program indirectly led to her first official job as a technical writer, and has provided other opportunities since.

Casey Aschauer (2019)

After studying scientific and technical communication as an undergraduate at Michigan Tech, Casey Aschauer chose to continue her technical writing education at Portland State. She is currently employed by Sierra Olympic Technologies as an Engineering Project Specialist, where she takes on the responsibilities of a technical writer, information architect, coder, process owner, and general communications expert. Through the Technical and Professional Writing Master’s program, Casey feels that she was able to enhance and refine her knowledge of technical writing tools like DITA and Madcap Flare, as well as gain experience in professional research methods, digital rhetoric, and project management. She recommends that students take courses outside the program to gain experience working with people that are not technical writers on group projects and be able to see where technical communication fits into the bigger picture.

Ken Blom (2017)

After completing his undergraduate studies in English, Ken decided to attend the Technical and Professional Writing Master’s program to gain insider knowledge and learn business skills that would allow him to have a career in writing. He currently works with UnitedHealth Group as a research consultant where he designs, implements and creates documentation for healthcare-related research projects. Ken cites the program with preparing him to collaborate on projects with a wide variety of people in diverse backgrounds, including software developers, doctors, data scientists, statisticians and more. Specific learned skills that have been helpful in his professional life include technical editing, document design and courses that incorporated professional development. Ken encourages graduates to dress, act and communicate like a professional, and to be confident and know their worth when pursuing roles in technical writing.

Michelle Malkasian (2015)

Michelle has been a nerd since birth and has been writing nearly as long, so when she discovered the two could be merged in technical communication, she dove in headfirst and never looked back. She is currently employed as the Technical Content Specialist in PSU's Office of Information Technology and manages all of the University's IT help resources. She is passionate about producing accessible content, creating innovative web development solutions, and promoting the advancement of women in STEM fields.

According to Michelle, "being in PSU’s program gave me an opportunity to develop a wide range of technical communication skills that I use on the job every day. Beyond the learning I did in the classroom and internships, I was able to network with current industry leaders and build relationships with future colleagues who sat beside me in class. My time in the program built the foundation I needed to hit the ground running in the techcomm industry."

John Morrison (2013)

John Morrison is a Senior Technical Writer for CDI Corporation, an East-coast based company that places IT specialists, technical communicators, and Web content developers with client companies worldwide. Morrison serves in an information architecture, content strategy, and DITA authoring role with Intel in Hillsboro and is a full-time, salaried employee of CDI. CDI manages the Intel.com Web space, much of which is centered in Hillsboro, and employs approximately 140 people in Web-related roles at Intel.

Morrison attributes his recent good fortune to:

  • Selecting PSU’s Technical and Professional Writing program for a mid-career transition.
  • Attending STC-WVC meetings while in grad school and joining the administrative council when approached about a position.
  • Attending industry trade conferences, such as LavaCon, while in graduate school, and the STC Summit in 2014 in Columbus, Ohio.
  • Having great friends and colleagues!