{"id":4287,"date":"2020-11-02T09:10:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T14:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=4287"},"modified":"2023-08-22T11:07:24","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T15:07:24","slug":"how-to-become-a-technical-writer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=4287","title":{"rendered":"How to Become a Technical Writer: Tips for Lucrative Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The growing field of technical writing \u2014 the work of creating user guides for new products, capturing how a business brings aboard a new customer, directing a user step by step through installing new software and thousands of other tasks \u2014 is a lucrative one. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I made the switch to in 2019 and wish I had known about the option far earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I came to technical writing after working as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. Leaving the profession I\u2019d loved for decades wasn\u2019t easy, but I became even more grateful for my new career when the pandemic started and I became the sole breadwinner for our family of six. <\/span>Back in March, my husband lost his job and finding a new one in the Covid-ravaged landscape took six months. I don\u2019t like to think how our household would have fared if I\u2019d stayed in journalism. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Money isn\u2019t the sole reason to consider a job in technical writing, but it\u2019s no small consideration either.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My work on a team handling information technology documents for a federal government contractor outside D.C. pays $70,000 \u2014 almost twice what I earned at my last newspaper job.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to make the leap into technical writing? Let’s break down what technical writing is and how you can get started in this niche.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What does a technical writer do? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A technical writer puts things simply \u2014 translating complex information into a message that allows the intended audience, whether that\u2019s a consumer or a software engineer, to take the desired action. Tech writers must decide the structure for best presenting the information to boost understanding for the end user.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech writers typically churn out standard operating procedure (SOP) documents, technical proposals, online help sections, installation guides, quick reference guides, white papers and more.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical communication is not only about writing, but editing (your own work and the work of others) and keeping terminology usage and other word choices consistent throughout a document and across multiple documents. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the written word remains the focus for most tech writers, their documents increasingly aren\u2019t printed on paper, but rather read online. And tech writers no longer rely on words alone to get their message across but turn to interactive technologies to deliver a blend of text, illustrations, photographs, screenshots, custom graphics, animation, audio and video.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech writers tend to cluster in information technology (IT) fields, with many working in the federal government or for federal contractors. Other popular fields include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, finance, research, engineering and green energy. Some tech writers create documents used solely \u201cin house\u201d while others focus on writing for consumers or the public at large.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writers who live in high-tech corridors may have an easier time landing work though one of the silver linings of the pandemic has been an uptick in work-from-home jobs in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much can you earn as a technical writer?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The median salary for a tech writer was $72,850 in May of 2019, according to the <\/span>Occupational Outlook Handbook<\/span><\/a> put out by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s more than what comparable media professionals such as editors, writers, authors and public relations specialists make (their median salaries are in the low $60,000s) and significantly more than what reporters, correspondents and broadcast news analysts (with median pay of $46,270 earn.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n