The perfect partnership: MRU alumna turns transferable skills into rewarding tech career

 

When Martine Valentine decided it was time for a career change, she wasn’t starting from scratch – she was building on years of experience in software testing and documentation. 

Today, she works as a technical writer at AVEVA, a global industrial software company and industry partner of Mount Royal University’s (MRU) Faculty of Continuing Education.

Valentine credits MRU’s online Technical Writing Extension Certificate with helping her turn an existing skillset into a rewarding new career.

“I worked in software testing for many years,” she says, “and usually the companies I worked for didn’t have a technical writing team, so I’d often create documentation for myself, to remind me how the applications worked.”

“The software development environment taught me a lot and gave me a broad range of experiences,” she says. “Eventually, I realized I wanted to channel those skills into a role where I could focus more on documentation and knowledge sharing.”

That realization led her to explore technical writing, particularly within software and engineering environments. When she discovered MRU’s online certificate program, the flexibility immediately stood out.

“I saw that Mount Royal had an online course that I could do in my own time and it just seemed like a great idea,” she says. “I signed up for the first few classes and loved it.” 

While Valentine expected to sharpen her technical writing skills, she says the program also gave her a broader appreciation for writing as a craft. “The courses covered many aspects of writing, from creating magazine articles and policies and procedures, to English grammar and the importance of white space,” she says. “It gave me a completely different insight into writing in general.” 

She also learned practical skills she now uses every day on the job, including how to structure user guides and write with specific audiences in mind. Even familiar tools like Microsoft Word became easier to navigate after the program. “I realized I’d been using Microsoft Word wrong for years,” she says with a laugh. “Once you understand headings, sections and how to structure documents properly, it becomes so much easier.” 

 

A connection that led to a career

Valentine first learned about AVEVA through MRU. The company was recruiting interns through its partnership with the university, and Valentine decided to apply. But after reviewing her background in quality assurance and software development processes, AVEVA saw an opportunity for something more. 

“They recognized that my past experience in QA and understanding how projects worked gave me a lot of transferable skills,” she says. “Instead of bringing me in as an intern, I was offered a more senior role.” 

Valentine initially joined the company as a contractor before becoming a permanent employee in January 2026. “It all worked out really well,” she says. “While making a career change can feel uncertain at first, I quickly found my footing at AVEVA and felt welcomed as part of the team. Before long, I was able to contribute in meaningful ways and really see the impact of my work.”

Today, Valentine creates documentation that helps users understand and navigate software features. “When developers create a new feature, we build the user documentation around it,” she explains. “That includes screenshots, step-by-step instructions and release notes describing what’s new in the software.” 

She says the collaborative environment at AVEVA helped her quickly gain confidence in her new role. Within her first year, Valentine was trusted to lead documentation for an entirely new project. “I was given the opportunity to take on a brand new project independently, developing all the instruction manuals and installation guides from the ground up,” she says. “It was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I was really proud of what I accomplished.”

Flexible learning for working professionals

For Valentine, the online format of MRU’s certificate program made it possible to balance learning with the rest of life. “It was good to be able to work at your own pace,” she says. “The discussion forums were also really valuable because you could collaborate with other students and instructors when you needed clarification.” Looking back, she says the program helped her grow not only as a writer, but as a collaborator and communicator. “It taught me to reach out, ask questions and not struggle in a silo,” she says. “Even things like resume writing became clearer because I understood how to make information easier to read and easier to process.” 

Most importantly, Valentine says the program gave her the confidence to successfully pivot careers. “I just consider myself incredibly fortunate,” she says. “The things I learned at Mount Royal helped me fit in at AVEVA so quickly. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome!”