Welcome to Jeremy Browning's Work-related page

 

Documentation, training, and websites

Here you will be able to find out all about what I do for a living.
I'm a technical author, trainer, writer, editor, and all round documentation-and-information person.
For further details check out my CV or find out about my ideal job.

All about how I earn my crust

Until recently my CV said that I was a "technical author" (TA), and that is what I have been professionally for nearly sixteen years now (since December 1996). Last month I was promoted to Design Team Manager, which is partly a way of formalising all the other stuff that I've been doing for the past few years - running the corporate website, creating and delivering internal and external training courses, proofing and editing all external-facing documentation (press releases, news bulletins, marketing literature, etc.), and managing the specification delivery process.

As a TA, my primary role has been to write and maintain a variety of different types of documentation on subjects that are loosely 'technical' - and in my case that normally means software. So, as far as the general public is concerned, I write about computer programs - how they work and how to use them.

But, as acknoweldged in my recent promotion, I am much more - and somewhat less - than that.

More, because my interests and skills extend far beyond 'technical' writing and I like to get myself as involved as possible in the entire documentation system of the companies that I work for. I design and write specifications for software, I create templates and define styles for Microsoft Word, I proof and edit marketing materials and other corporate documents, I maintain and update company Web sites, and so on.
And yet less, because in some of these areas I know and understand only as much as I need to know to do my job well. I am not a developer (programmer), I don't understand code. I am also not a Web designer, or a an Interaction Designer, or a marketing or presales expert - but I know enough about all of these to be able to perform that function for a company that perhaps doesn't require a person in that role full time, or to help out and assist somebody who is.

My writing styles vary.
If you read my blog, or check out my Facebook posts, or follow me on Twitter, you'll see that I'm every bit as capable as the next moron of writing ill-thought-out garbage, and of ranting and spouting off. But if I am writing professionally then it's a different story and I take a great deal of care over grammar, spelling, layout, and so forth. I honestly worry about misplaced apostrophes and whether items in bulleted lists should end with an apostrophe. The point is that, like it or not, there are rules to English grammar and until and unless they are changed then it is important to conform to them when writing professionally.

I'm currently working for a company called Intelligent Environments (IE for short) in Kingston-Upon-Thames, and I'm not unhappy there at all. The role is varied and allows me to do a variety of stuff, and I think I've made myself pretty indispensible there over the years. I've also become the company 'trainer' - this is something that I was introduced to while working on the London NPFIT programme for the NHS, and that I really enjoy doing. But Kingston is quite a commute for me and my primary role is still 'technical author' (fair enough, it's what I was employed do do and I do get a reasonable salary for it - but then, I am very good at my job) - and I rather think I've been doing that for too long now. It may be time to move on and up into a position that is more suited to my range of abilities and.... I was going to say 'skills' again but perhaps 'talents' is a more appropriate word.

Every decent job I've ever had has been as a result of someone finding my CV online (at one of the major job sites) - I've never applied for a job 'cold' and been hired. So I think that it's worth keeping an active version of my CV available, should anyone happen to be looking for (for example) a writer and trainer who plays bass, sings tenor, and is an excellent cook, for a highly paid position in Muswell Hill. If that's you, here I am.

From here you have a few choices:

  • Click here to view my CV in HTML format, click here to download it as a PDF, or click here to download it as a Word file
  • Click here to see a summary of how I got to where I am today, and where I'd like to go from here
  • Click here to see a copy of the Web site that I built and maintained for Intelligent Environments - that's the company that I work for - using Sitecore CMS (I run training courses on Sitecore for my work colleagues, and for our clients - who include major banks)
  • Click here to see the Tottenham Community Choir Web site - that's another site that I build and maintain but, like this one, hand tooled with a bit of help from Dreamweaver. Oh, and while you're at it, "why not come along and sing along"?
  • Click here to email me