Darlene Collins

I attribute my success to hard work and dedication that it has taken to get to where I am today. I love technical writing and loved my work in oil and gas and for the federal government where I secured 2 to 3 million in grant funding. I worked in electrical and electronics engineering and urban planning. What I consider my most notable achievement was my work at the Port of New Orleans, where I contributed compelling content to grant proposals. The grant monies I would contribute the compelling content to grant proposals for, and grants were rewarded that would help with the environment. I've received funding, helped receive funding for truck replacements for people that drive the large 18-wheelers, drayage trucks, to replace older trucks with new trucks that burn cleaner and would clean the air. I've participated in ascertaining or gaining about two to three million dollars towards that program. It was a team effort, the grant as a whole, but I would contribute to make the content compelling, and then I would work on editing and proofreading. I've also won the AAPA 2021 Award of Excellence and the LDEQ 2019 Environmental Leadership Program Recognition Award for Environmental Management System Excellence, though I didn't get the recognition as a person - I was like the worker bee who probably contributed a very significant amount to the success of the programs.

You can have a career you love and be successful.

I want to open people's eyes and motivate them about the possibilities of work in technical writing. Technical writing is like a hidden gem as a career, because you can not only just do engineering technical writing, you can do sales, you can do writing grants, you can do technical documentation - it just crosses so many fields. To me, it's a hidden gem that you can virtually work in any field you want. You might want to be an engineer, or you might want to be a healthcare professional, or you might want to work as a carpenter, but one thing all of these fields and industries have in common is that they all need technical writers. There are a lot of people who have been on disability on and off because of injuries, and it's something, it's another job that you can do from home that pays very well. Even at the point when you're looking at hopefully within 5 years you can retire, you can still have that oath and excitement to do it in a major, in a very positive way, and just motivate and encourage others.

The thing about technical writing is that sometimes you just get 6-month assignments at a time, so you're out of work. My last contract ended 3 months ago and I am now seeking work. It's been 3 months since my last assignment. I'm currently looking to work, and I'm having to work from home at this point because I no longer have the physical ability to really go out and do the work I used to do due to health issues. I'm 58, and so I'm looking at another 5 years. At this point, I could use the recognition so that people can see that I have some credibility, outside of titles. I don't have the fancy titles, but I think all I need is one really good position to push me through. I'm not necessarily ambitious at this point.

Being able to be devoted to my clients and be able to take care of my own health and work remotely is most important to me. I've had health issues, and that's one of the reasons I'm working from home now. I no longer have the physical ability to really go out and do the work I used to do. I have to really be careful with my spending at this time. I want to be able to encourage others and motivate them, even when you're looking at hopefully within 5 years you can retire, just still having that oath and excitement to do it in a major, in a very positive way.