The field of technical communication: what is it and how can we get our act together?

The field of technical communication is not in trouble. Quite the contrary, technical communication both as an academic discipline and as a profession has never been more successful. It is precisely this success which calls for a heightened awareness on the part of technical communicators. The first and most important step toward `getting our act together´ is a common understanding among current technical communicators on issues such as what it is that unites them as members of a field, what titles and job levels they should have, what roles are appropriate and inappropriate for them to play, what conditions and status are acceptable, what compensation is appropriate, what training should be common, what specializations are possible, and what should constitute undergraduate and graduate education