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Becky Cattanach

'99 BSTC
eBusiness Project Manager
Brady Corporation
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

 

Question: Tell us about your job: Where do you work? What is your job title? How long have you had this position?

Becky: I am an eBusiness Project Manager at Brady Corp. I have worked full-time at Brady Corp for two years, growing to this position in November 2000.

Question: What are your key duties at work? What is a typical day like?

Becky: As eBusiness Project Manager, I serve as a liaison between the business units and the website development teams. Some of my duties include writing website specifications, designing storyboards, researching the eBusiness needs of the organization and providing adequate solutions through internal resources or vendors, and supervision of our department intern.

Here are links to two recent projects I have worked on at Brady:

Brady Europe
Teklynx Software Solutions

Question: Does your job involve travel?

Becky: Business travel is reserved for conferences and training sessions, especially sessions overseas where English is the second language. With today's technology, the need for business travel has been greatly reduced.

Question: What do you like most about your job?

Becky: I enjoy my job due to the amount of interaction I have with people on a daily basis, even if I'm not working with them face-to-face.

Question: What is the least favorite part of the job?

Becky: The down side is spending 8 hours a day in front of a computer.

Question: How did you become interested in Technical Communications?

Becky: My interest in Technical Communications started after I decided to drop out of school after a year and a half as an Architectural Engineering student. After realizing that engineering was not my passion in life, I saw the potential for creativity in the technical communication degree program.

Question: Do you consider yourself to be a Technical Communicator? How do you feel your job is suited for a TC? Do people with other backgrounds also perform your type of job?

Becky: I very much consider myself to be a technical communicator, as well as a translator between the business and technical worlds. However, I want to emphasize that I am not a "technical writer" and that this degree can provide opportunities in so many fields.

My position is well suited for a person with a Technical Communication degree due to the amount of time I spend communicating with people from different countries, different backgrounds, and different levels of technical knowledge. The communications skills and technical knowledge needed for this job sets it apart from typical business field.