Computer Scientist Who Loves to Write
Finds the Perfect Career
By Purva, technical writer
Computer Scientist Who Loves to Write
Who I Am and What I Do
When a friend who works at MathWorks encouraged me to apply for the position of technical writer at MathWorks, I had no idea that I was going to find a perfect blend of my passion and technical education. I completed my master’s degree in computer science and was looking for roles such as software engineer and software engineer in test.
“I decided to pursue a technical writer role because I love to write.”
I decided to pursue a technical writer role because I love to write. To be honest, I had written only fictional stories at that point. But given my long and consistent education in the technical field, I was hoping that my writing skills could be well applied in the technical domain too.
Why I Love Technical Writing at MathWorks
What made MathWorks stand out during my job search for technical writer roles was that MathWorks required an advanced engineering degree. Even before being accepted, I knew MathWorks was a company where my years of pursuing a technical education would be greatly valued.
I joined MathWorks with no formal training in technical writing, but that wasn’t an issue at all. MathWorks gave me well-rounded training in writing documentation for our products. The training covered the basics of technical documentation as well as the specialized writing done for MathWorks products.
I had a great support system composed of my hiring manager and my buddy, who is today my manager! My manager introduced me to the entire cross-functional team. The cross-functional team comprised developers and quality engineers with whom I would work daily. I also met the rest of the writers on the team, who each support a different development team. My buddy guided me through the processes that I would be using to fulfill my role and was available to help out with any question I had.
Why MathWorks Is a Good Fit
I’m amazed by the variety of projects I can participate in, which builds on top of my role as a technical writer. These projects have helped me enhance my skills in event organization, project management, making presentations, and even networking. I try to work on different projects every year to increase my exposure in the company and gain new knowledge. This experience helps me decide on my goals for future career growth as well.
“I’m amazed by the variety of projects I can participate in, which builds on top of my role as a technical writer. These projects have helped me enhance my skills in event organization, project management, making presentations, and even networking.”
The Documentation department is a fun group! The entire group meets several times during a release cycle to kick off a new release and learn about new initiatives and process updates. We have an annual department outing to do something fun like wine tasting, arcades, or activities in the city. My team celebrates monthly birthdays/anniversaries and holidays. We do wedding showers and baby showers, too, and help celebrate various milestones in our colleagues’ lives.
It’s been three and a half years since I started working at MathWorks and I have enjoyed every day here. I feel the satisfaction of helping the various engineers and scientists who read our documentation to use the products in accelerating the pace of engineering and science!
