CHRIS DOUGHERTY

CHRIS DOUGHERTY

Technical Editor


GS Media and Events div. of Camping World/Good Sam

Milestones

My road in life has taken me all over.
I grew up on a horse farm, and started RVing in a 1973 Winnebago when I was 3.
My mother passed in an RV fire when I was 13.
Went into fire service when I was 18.
Went to Marist College to study communications, but left early to follow career in Fire / EMS.
Started RVing on my own, rebuilding a Coleman popup with a friend.
Sold a house and started RVing full time, still working as a FF, but starting in RV / Campground biz.
Wrote for a number of online / print pubs in the RV industry while owning a small RV service company.
Eventually followed opportunity to work as tech editor for industry's largest consumer publications.
Keep following my journey

Career

Technical Editor

I am responsible to review and create technical content for MotorHome and Trailer Life magazines.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Travel
Journalism
Communicating / Sharing Stories

Day to Day

Every day is great at my job! I work from home mostly, in an "RV" themed office full of tech, but I also have an office in Oxnard, CA at the Good Sam HQ, and I travel to the RV capital of the world, Elkhart, Indiana on occasion for RV tests and reviews. Those are fun. I get to take a brand new RV right from the assembly line and test it for a week and then write a review of it. I also love doing technical articles involving installation of some of the latest 'stuff' in the RV industry.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for high school students

The first thing is having a passion for the industry and the RV lifestyle. There are many people in our industry who excel at their jobs, and there are literally a million RVers, but this job takes: 1)excellent communications skills, and that comes from education, 2)Professional level knowledge of the RV industry and Recreation Vehicles, so becoming an RV technician, pursuing the education and training, and doing the job for years, and 3)start writing on a small scale, and work your way up.

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Parents:

"My father was a physician, and my oldest brother, who died in a plane crash when I was 3, had been accepted to med school. I was a poor student and didn't measure up. Constant pressure to stay in school / college for a meaningful career."

Challenges I Overcame

Financial
Learning Issues