I'm one of more than 70 contributors to Women in Technical Communication, an anthology edited by Sharon Burton that brings together first-person accounts from the women who built this field. The book spans fifty years of industry change, told by the people who lived it. My essay covers how I got into technical writing, what the workplace actually looked like for women in the early 1990s, and the path that led me to information architecture and DITA consulting.

Every successful DITA implementation needs someone who can build and maintain DITA-OT output plugins. This sample job description from Amber Swope gives you a ready-to-adapt template for the DITA-OT Developer role.

The Delivery Information Architect is the person who makes sure content doesn't just exist — it works on the platform where users actually encounter it. This sample job description gives you a template for hiring or defining the role.

The Content Strategist is the role that keeps a DITA implementation aligned with business goals — but it's often the least well-defined. Amber Swope's sample job description gives you a clear template for the role.

The Management Information Architect is the role responsible for how content is structured at its source — across all delivery channels. Amber Swope's sample job description gives you a clear, adaptable template for defining or hiring for the role.

Most information architects didn't set out to become one. Amber Swope surveyed 35 working IAs to understand how they got there, what they actually do day to day, and what it takes to do the job well — whether you're already in the role or considering it.