Technical Writer Job Overview

Information is power. Understanding how things happen around us will give us the peace of mind that some of the products that we have, are safe.

Understanding will also help us ease the operations on some of the gadgets and things in our house.

It is also through understanding that we could upgrade our entertainment experience. The more we know, the more our lives become easier.

However, everything cannot just be understood in one setting. The changes in technology today are very fast that we cannot keep up even with just simple jargons.

That is where technical writers come in. Technical writers basically explain certain processes, especially in technology, so that readers who are not well versed with technical jargons could understand how complicated things work.

Technical writers may explain how software influences the system, how a particular gadget is better and even some tips on how to improve the experience in a particular gadget. The technical writer uses simple terms so that it could be read easily.

A technical writer could either work for a magazine, newspaper, newsletters and online. They could work as an employee or they could work as a freelance writer, getting paid for only what they wrote.

And technical writing is not only about gadgets and technology; there are a variety of subjects that could not be easily understood by some readers. Health, aerospace, the law, and other subjects that could be of interest to anyone could be written by a technical writer.

Technical Writer Education Requirement

The technical writer may have a degree in communication in order to be a successful technical writer.

This degree has already trained the technical writer on the basics of writing and all they need to do is to improve it through experience.

Established mediums such as newspapers and magazines require this degree to their candidates.

However, technical writing could also be done by those who do not have a degree in communication.

Graduates of other courses could also be technical writers especially on fields of their specialization.

For example, software engineers could be technical writers while those who have a nursing degree could be technical writers on general health.

Advancement in career as a technical writer however, is usually better for those who have a degree in communication because of their training on how to make their writing appeal to most people.

It could also be possible for experienced writers to advance it their career. But advancement will take time because of the experience.

There are also technical writing courses that serve as a crash courses for writing. They could be taken online or in local colleges.

Technical Writer Qualification

• Degree in Communication
• Degree in Related Field
• Technical Writing Course (Optional)

Technical Writer Skills

Technical writers are usually assigned to work in different subjects. That is why technical writers have to be very flexible.

Although they are usually proficient in a specific subject, their experience in technical writing has trained them to write on subjects even if they are not proficient with that subject.

Technical writers are still successful on writing subjects they are not really familiar with because of their ability to research on a certain subject.

Through effective research, they can practically find information available for them in such a short time. With the right information, they can easily understand certain concepts and share that knowledge to other people.

Ultimately, technical writers should exhibit excellent communication skills. Technical writing is all about communicating the complex aspects of a product to the people in a very simple and ‘easy to understand’ documentation. 

The only way to have everyone understand what you are writing is to have a highly developed communication skills.

Technical Writer Expected Salary

• Beginners: $2000
• Mid Level: $2500
• Experts: $3500-$4800
• Freelance: $80-$350 per document depending on the word count.