Do You Know Where Your Career is Going

Just a few years ago, I would have said a resounding no! I thought about consulting for EPIC or various other academic paths that I could have pursued. Then perchance, a contract medical writing position opened up again. (I had applied before with no luck.) Apparently, the manager was in desperate need of a medical writer having lost the previous medical writer. A few weeks later, I received an interview. I was nervous since my writing skills were mostly academic in nature. I presented a protocol that I had written for an academic project and waited for her reaction in the interview. Apparently, that was a very similar way of writing in the pharma industry! I spent a lot of time in that interview just convincing her that I could do the job. Much to my surprise, I got in.

While all that happened was great, I had lots to learn and to do before I became a bonafide technical writer. I struggled greatly throughout the whole process. I am still passionate about medical writing today. It’s a great career option considering the perks of remote work, great pay, and interesting work!

A colleague from Abbott Molecular convinced me that I should teach others how to get through the learning process of becoming a medical/technical writer. I resisted in the beginning, but I wanted to help others avoid the pitfalls that made that first year stressful.

That is the driving force behind this program.

Blog article by Szilvia Schultz