Scott Wilborn
Writer | Content Developer
Creative to Technical
FAQ
Why Content Development and Technical Writing?
​Everything in today's world involves Content! While content is an abundantly available resource ready to be consumed, my emphasis on content lies in my efforts to effectively capture and collect relevant information, then to organize, massage, and transform it into a "story" that creates a better understanding of the topic and an opportunity for my audience(s) to gain knowledge.
What is Management Science and how does it fit in with Content Development and Technical Writing?
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I began my career path in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech before realizing that the scientific and analytical side of my brain needed to be better balanced with my interest in more people-focused disciplines. Four years later I was graduating with a degree in Management Science and a certificate in Organizational Psychology instead.
Management Science brings a more analytical and scientific approach to the workplace which I consider to be a value-add to the traditional management approaches and a vehicle to deliver better results by considering more factors and from different angles.
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Throughout my career journey which has included a wide variety of company types and sizes, industries, functional areas, and positions, Management Science has always been a constant ally providing me with a structured and systematic approach to whatever the situation.
Management Science, combined this with an approach focused on people, an understanding and subject matter knowledge across a wide range of disciplines, and the vast perspective I have been able to gain through the diversity of these experiences have furnished me with the foundation to create win-win situations at work.
Content Development and Technical Writing are the instruments I utilize in my pursuit. I quickly know I am doing things right when I recognize the satisfaction that comes when seeing others grow and improve their contributions. That makes for a rather good day!
What are some of the strengths that you bring to the table based on this experience?
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My first job after school was with the Federal Reserve Bank Branch office in Jacksonville where I was fortunate to encounter an organization that prioritized an intentional and winning culture. An extensive orientation and training program that included managing within several key functional areas; from Operations – where productivity, quality, and cost performance were balanced with security and control priorities – to Administration and Human Resources provided a strong cross-functional foundation but most importantly, the grasp of Organizational Development principles and the resulting benefits of a people-focused style of management which has shaped my approach ever since.
I also spent 20+ years in Software Development with my experience coming in small company environments. Instead of being pigeon-holed into a focused role, I had the opportunity to explore beyond development tasks into other functions - Marketing, Sales, Product Development, Product Support, Customer Training, Support Documentation, and Project Management. In addition, spending a significant amount of your time working with databases gives you a greater appreciation of the value of data. In fact, Data Analysis and Technical Writing are actually good ”partners“ as querying data is a close relative to writing or generating content. Both mechanisms are simply extracting and presenting content in a way that better explains or provides understanding.
As most of us are aware, most software developers have a marginal interest in documenting and are also not adept primarily based on the lack of inspiration it provides them, but I actually enjoy it immensely as I recognize the value in the process.
More recently, I have been constructing training presentations covering Human Resources and other current societal subjects that are being delivered to HR professionals and management audiences; those two stints as a Human Resources manager sure are coming in handy now!
Whatever the assignment, I prioritize a strategic and systematic approach to the problem. When circumstances dictate a “band-aid solution”, I am still going to seek a way to systematize a process or, at a minimum, institutionalize the knowledge that has been gained.