Technical Writer at Valkyrie Enterprises
By Lauren Keller, English Intern
Having a father in the Navy, James Carey moved from one end of the country to the other. James was born in Rhode Island and moved several times before eventually ending up in California. He started at California State University Channel Islands the Fall after his high school graduation in 2008. One reason James was attracted to Channel Islands was because of the location, as it was only a fifteen-minute drive from his home. He was also impressed by the school’s affordability.
James chose to study English because of his love of reading, his favorite genres being science fiction and fantasy. He says that he “always loved to read, so the next logical step was to learn how to write.” During his time at Channel Islands, James pursued a degree in creative writing with a minor in history. Out of all his English classes, he found ENGL 360: Literary Theory, a class that introduces foundational literary theories and criticisms, to be the most memorable. James believes that the class opened his mind and helped him understand the world better. He says the class taught him that “everything we know is the result of human conceptualization and based on inherent cultural concepts that we can perceive.” Aside from his English classes, James also enjoyed the history courses he took for his minor, and he particularly enjoyed studying Chinese history. He furthered his interest in Chinese history by taking advantage of Channel Island’s foreign language courses and studying Mandarin. He believes studying a variety of different topics is important for writers, as it allows them to be well-versed on many topics.
James graduated from Channel Islands in 2013 after earning a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. After graduation, James started at a company called JSL Technologies and was later transferred to Valkyrie Enterprises, where he has worked as a technical writer for the last five years. Valkyrie Enterprises is a veteran-owned business that provides support and products focusing on C5I and maritime modernization for the United States Navy, the Department of Defense, and other commercial clients. Valkyrie Enterprises is based out of Virginia but has expanded to many different locations throughout the country, including Camarillo, California, where James currently works. In general, technical writers prepare and revise manuals and other explanatory documents to communicate complex technical information in a variety of different fields. In his particular field, James spends most of his time editing technical manuals for military equipment in accordance with whatever corrections or additions the customer has given. Editing can include anything from adding text, to a new graphic, to converting an entire manual to the most up-to-date version. He says that there is a growing demand in the job market for technical writers and that “companies can’t hire writers fast enough.”
James says that his favorite part of being a technical writer at Valkyrie Enterprises is the satisfaction of getting a job done and knowing that he is helping the equipment work to the best of its abilities. He also greatly enjoys the convenience of working from home, saying that many technical writing jobs, even prior to the pandemic, are done remotely. He believes that studying English at Channel Islands helped him in his career by improving his overall writing and editing skills, and that it helped him develop a keen ability to find small discrepancies such as grammar errors, misspelled words, or improper punctuation. With his degree and his career, James has been able to master both the creative and technical sides of writing.
When asked what his advice to current and potential English students at Channel Islands would be, James said that he urges students to broaden their writing spectrum by pursuing a myriad of different courses. He says it is exciting how many new classes the Channel Islands English Department has introduced since he graduated in 2013, such as the Science/Fiction class, and that students should take advantage of them. James also encourages students to learn to appreciate different kinds of writing, from classics like Moby Dick, to fantasy series like Lord of the Rings. He challenges students to be experimental by looking into various genres, unfamiliar mythologies, and obscure topics. Lastly, James advises students to really enjoy their major and take the opportunity to dive into the literature. He says that learning about reading and writing gives people the chance to “create new worlds, languages, countries, kingdoms, empires, and people” and that the next great story is waiting to be written.