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About Me

I am a combination of writer, project organizer, usability test coordinator, teacher, editor, customer advocate and veteran programmer. I have served in all of these roles over the years, mostly in paid positions, but sometimes voluntarily. 

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I started out as a computer programmer for IBM, where I worked for ten years and had the opportunity not only to write software, but to own and update an IBM Redbook; lead a usability test; represent customers such as Sears, International Paper, and JC Penney in beta testing; and teach customers in both Europe and the U.S. about our new releases and features. For ten years, I educated my children in our home, and then returned to NC State University, earned their Technical Writing Certificate, and began a new career as a technical writer in 2022.

SKILLS

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WRITING

Five years technical writing at two companies using MS Word, Excel, Visio, Adobe Acrobat

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COMPUTER

MS Office, Google Docs, Paint.net, Paint 3D, MS Movie Maker, Amara Subtitling software, HTML5, CSS3, Visual Studio Code,

Wix Editor, some JavaScript

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INTERPERSONAL / TEAM SKILLS

Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, strong attention to detail, proven record writing procedural guides, ability to collaborate and work well on a team, self-motivated, ability to prioritize tasks and work in a fast-paced environment, ability to assess and write to the needs and skill level of audience, experience with style guides, experienced in software development life cycle

EDUCATION

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NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

  • Professional Writing Certificate Program

  • Bachelor of Science, computer science

EXPERIENCE

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TECHNICAL WRITER / KNIGHT FEDERAL SOLUTIONS, INC.

(2022 - current)

  • Proposal Writer: Wrote technical approach for bids on Federal Government contracts for IT / Systems Engineering work

  • Documentation Specialist: Wrote and maintained over 30 technical documents describing current and recent contracts

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COMPUTER PROGRAMMER / IBM

10 years

  • Technical Writer: Owned and updated IBM Redbook Installation Guide for OS/2 products

  • Programmer: Developer of Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM) which uses Systems Networking Architecture; Wrote code for 3725 and System/370 machines

  • Usability Test Coordinator: Honed public relations and communications skills while leading usability testing with Hershey's and other IBM customers

  • Customer Advocate: Served as a customer advocate for International Paper, JC Penney, Sears, and other IBM clients during beta testing

  • Teacher: Taught new software feature usage and syntax to U.S. and Asian customers in Chicago, Tampa and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and also to international European clients in London

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ACADEMIC

  • Website Developer: Created a web page using HTML5, CSS3 and Visual Studio Code

  • Technical Writer: User Guide documentation for Epic Game's Fortnite Creative game; included audience analysis, interviews with Epic Games employees, team collaboration, following a style guide, creating a template, writing the final document, peer and SME reviews, and usability testing. Infographic created using Canva. This website, kmbeesley.com, created with the Wix Editor and JavaScript.

 

EDITOR

  • Book: Rethinking Our Story: Can We Be Christian in the Quantum Era? By Doug Hammack, published 2014, Resource Publications

  • Subtitles: The Best Mantra, by Mooji, and other videos using Amara Subtitling software, fall, 2018

 

TEACHER AND EDUCATIONAL PLANNER

10 years

  • Curriculum Designer: Planned and taught K-12 subjects including history, math, reading, writing, literature, spelling, grammar, Algebra I and II, geometry and trigonometry

  • Event Coordinator: Organized field trips for up to 100 students such as Ancient Greek Olympic Field Day, snow skiing in West Virginia, dances and nature hikes

  • Instructional Recruiter: Coordinated expert instructors to teach piano, Spanish, and other subjects in our home, including a college-level computer programming class taught by a UNC graduate student teacher, and Survival Skills, taught by a North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences expert

  • Math Olympiad Coach: Introduced 4th through 6th graders to problem-solving skills

 

VOLUNTEER

15 years, various organizations

  • Meal Provider: Partnered with Meals on Wheels to deliver hot meals to seniors on Sundays, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Family Promise of Wake County, Rise Against Hunger, N.C. Food Bank, Free lunch program for area shelters and assistance organizations

  • Other: Habitat for Humanity - helped build three houses installing subfloors, framing, windows, siding, inside trim and built a deck; Animal Protection Society of Durham; Family Promise; hurricane relief; local parks 

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