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Considering a Career as a Technical Writer? I've been a tech writer for more than ten years now. While I've had my moments of challenge on occasion, I must say overall I've been pretty happy with this as a career. As for what a technical writer actually does, one may conjure up any number of mental images. Indeed, while some tech writers are perhaps one notch away from the geeky engineer type, the majority of them are actually quite something else. I've known tech writers who were musicians, marines, and marmalade makers. Technical writers come in all shapes and sizes. Not surprisingly they like to write about non-technical stuff, too. What Is a Tech Writer? Just as there are many different kinds of business in the world, there is conceivably just as much need for writers who can clearly and accurately develop technical content to fit. Whether it's user manuals, job aids, or policies and procedures, the need for technical writing is present in some form in every kind of business. In comparison to more specialized jobs, the breadth and depth of opportunity for employment as a technical writer is actually relatively good. Where You Can Get a Job as a Technical Writer I've worked the gamut of jobs ranging from construction laborer, busboy, to aircraft mechanic, and as an industrial consultant. By a fluke I even landed a job for several years in China as a Country Regional Manager on behalf of Danish trade company. So, I feel rather fortunate that I have this "colorful employment background" on which to lean. Diverse know-how comes in handy not only as good life experience, but from a practical business perspective. With that in mind, having broad business savvy lends significantly to being a successful technical writer. Diversity also translates to your ability to work in many different industries as a technical writer. Your Experience Does Matter Think you're at a dead-end with your current job? Cannot find a conventional job? Think about technical writing. No matter your background, the experience you have amassed can help you in a career as a technical writer in any sector. Tech writers work for factories, software companies, banks, and educational providers. Depending on which industries you have worked previously, you can just as easily work in those industries again − but now wearing a new hat as a technical writer. Assuming you can put words to paper (or onto a computer screen), you will be taking on a job requiring skills that many others find daunting. Aside from industry experience, having a knack for transforming abstract or chaotic ideas into clear structured writing is the other strong qualification you need. How I Got Started I got my start as a technical writer somewhat by accident. I got a degree in Chinese language and literature, and afterwards worked many different jobs having nothing to do with technical writing. After living overseas for several years, I returned home and began to look for work in earnest. After having no success in finding a job in industries for which I had worked previously, I registered myself with several work agencies to let fate run its course. After some time I landed an opportunity as a "document formatter" for a small technology company. You Can Ease Into It The job was easy enough. I sat at a computer and received documents written by other people. My job was to format their words into pretty templates. The company then published these documents as supportive material for the products they sold. However, as time went on, my job began to transform. In reading the documents given to me, I found they were riddled with mistakes. These errors ranged anywhere from simple misspellings, to grammar gaffs, all the way to gross violations of logic that could baffle the sharpest minds. I pointed these errors out to my boss and provided suggestions for their correction. After several days with my boss monitoring me, I no longer was a Document Formatter. My new job title was Technical Editor. As a technical editor, I tweaked other people's content to perfection. While doing this, I actually read the documents I edited and became knowledgeable in the subject matter they covered. Having pointed this out to my boss, he allowed me to have a shot at writing fresh content. This went well. Having successfully creating several technical pieces from scratch, my new job title changed to Technical Writer. Create a Technical Writing Job - Through Stealth What my story demonstrates is that technical writing is a career that one can ease into. If you are currently working a job that has nothing to do with technical writing, you may be able to contrive a pathway that can lead up to it. This is where your diverse experience (remember this from above?) as a well-rounded businessman comes into play. If the current documentation for the products with which you are working need updating, offer to go over them with your boss or supervisor. Assuming you can easily provide solid written content, your boss might be willing to shift your role somewhat. He may have you do some work on other documents that need some help. Later on perhaps you can begin writing up new docs from scratch. Eventually everyone's perception of your role will grow and change, and thus your job title will change, too. This is a form of polite − yet stealthy - job creation. Give it a try. Basic Skills as a Technical Writer While the story painted above provides one possible start-up scenario as a technical writer, there are many other routes you can take. Regardless of your background, there are a few skills which can help round out you profile for a new career in technical writing. Writing − While you may have some background as a poet, prose writer, or some other creative writer, this doesn't necessarily make you fit the bill as a technical writer. While creative writing is indeed creative, technical writing frequently is succinct, brief, and sometimes outright unglamorous. Fortunately there are many challenges associated with tech writing that do require ample creativity. Like how to organize a project, or doing research covering the topic about which you will write. While there is some argument as to what exactly qualifies as technical writing, I suggest you take some classes, ask for advice from seasoned technical writers, and read up on how to produce technical content. Editing − While this may come as a surprise to some, there are many technical writing jobs out there which don't involve technical writing at all. The work is only a title. In this case companies frequently hire someone to edit existing content or update old content. This isn't technical writing - rather, it's called technical editing. Whether you're hired for this kind of position, having superior editing skills is a definite must-have in your arsenal. Again, take some classes, consult with others, and bone up on your role as an editor. The work you do here can easily make the difference between getting or losing out on a job. Logic − While the value of logical writing is debatable also, the basic idea here is to develop your skills as an organizer. This translates to your ability to gather disparate information and render it into succinct and orderly tech prose. For example, on some writing projects your colleagues will give you a hodgepodge of old, new, relevant, and completely off-the-wall documents. They will ask you to sort through them, assemble the relevant information they need, and then re-craft this information into something useful. Perhaps they will ask you to do a little research on the side − especially for those updates to older content. All these activities require you to be able to think, organize, and produce clearly written content in a logical fashion. Technology −Let's not forget the word "technical" in your new job title. While the technology about which you write may cover things like computers and software, keep in mind there are other forms of technology. For example, you might work for a company that machines car parts, or manufactures washing machines. While you may think it's an unimpressive hunk of machinery, a washing machine is a form of technology. No matter whether you create content that covers the most base technology − or the most bleeding edge − you're still working with technical content. Therefore you're a technical writer. Computers and Software −Surprisingly in some of my past jobs, I've seen technical writing deliverables handed over in handwritten form. Not surprisingly I've also seen some content done up using a typewriter. While this kind of thing becomes rarer as time goes on, it goes without saying you should have some solid computer skills. Aside from knowing how to navigate a computer operating system, make certain to study up on common authoring software. These could include Microsoft Word, Adobe FrameMaker, RoboHelp, and Dreamweaver. While the software list can go on, the chances of you needing to know everything out there is unlikely. People Skills − Again this is where it's helpful to have some solid business background. While being able to work with people is a great skill for any job, it is especially essential for technical writers. In a typical corporate setting you may be working with (heaven forbid!) engineers. Engineers are human life forms sometimes exhibiting marginal social skills. It really helps to have good communication skills, a disarming and affable personality, and loads of patience. Aside from this, make sure you keep some extra lunch money in your pocket. You may need to bribe some of these engineers with food as a way to pry information from them so you can finish writing your project. No Work Experience? Up to this point everything I've discussed assumes that you have previous work experience. But what if you don't have any? How to get started then? Formal Education Perhaps the easiest answer to lack of experience is to get formalized training as a technical writer. Training can range anywhere from intensive one-day workshops, to certification on a specialized subject, and to the broader education you can get from a college or university offering a degree in technical writing. Aside from education, there's really nothing better that further qualifies you for the job than experience itself. "Create" Your Job How to get experience? Perhaps you can start off by getting a job not as a technical writer, but in a position where you can learn up on the product or service you're paid to develop or sell. Over time you can offer to create some content that will support your work. As it is with the hypothetical scenario painted previously, your role in the company may eventually transform you into a technical writing guru. After that, it's up to you. Create Your Portfolio In the absence of a work environment open enough to allow transition into a new role, you can always create your own technical writing content. You can write technical content pieces and keep them in a portfolio - either in paper form or online. Here is my online portfolio. Use the pieces in your portfolio as "work samples" for prospective employers. As a newcomer, make certain you don't go about developing your portfolio alone. Consult with seasoned technical writers to ensure your portfolio pieces are top-notch. While they should be clear and readable, also make certain your writing samples demonstrate your ability to take complex technical materials and render them into a structured and user-friendly format. Take It And Run While these words don't cover the myriad things you could do to prepare yourself for a new career in technical writing, hopefully this gives you a good start. In the absence of a clear path, I strongly suggest you seek out and consult with technical writers who've been at the job for at least several years. Don't just talk to one, talk to many. Go to local meetings, such as those held by the Society for Technical Communication, the IEEE, and the like. Leverage the benefits their collective advice can offer. If you play your cards well, you can work in nearly any industry that requires technical content. Congratulations! Good luck! ***** Resources / Suggested Reading: Other articles about WritingJohn's article Index |
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