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Is a technical writer a hard job?
How can I get into it?
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Bhavna’s Answer
Hello Quinten,
Yes, becoming a technical writer can be a hard job. It requires patience and good research skills to become successful. You will also need excellent writing skills, an understanding of the technical aspects of the subject matter, and the ability to communicate complex information in a way that is easy to understand. Shifting technologies can also require that technical writers be up-to-date on the latest information.
To get into a technical writing career, you should begin by gaining education and relevant experience. A degree in English, communications, journalism, or a related field can provide a good foundation, supplemented by technical writing courses. Experience with technical topics can also be helpful. It would also be beneficial to gain experience in writing, language, and grammar as well as research and computer applications. You should also be well-versed in the industry in which you plan to work.
Finally, it is important to build a portfolio of your work to showcase your skills to potential employers. Technical writing requires a combination of research, writing, and editing skills, so demonstrating your abilities in these areas will help to make you stand out.
I hope this helps.
Yes, becoming a technical writer can be a hard job. It requires patience and good research skills to become successful. You will also need excellent writing skills, an understanding of the technical aspects of the subject matter, and the ability to communicate complex information in a way that is easy to understand. Shifting technologies can also require that technical writers be up-to-date on the latest information.
To get into a technical writing career, you should begin by gaining education and relevant experience. A degree in English, communications, journalism, or a related field can provide a good foundation, supplemented by technical writing courses. Experience with technical topics can also be helpful. It would also be beneficial to gain experience in writing, language, and grammar as well as research and computer applications. You should also be well-versed in the industry in which you plan to work.
Finally, it is important to build a portfolio of your work to showcase your skills to potential employers. Technical writing requires a combination of research, writing, and editing skills, so demonstrating your abilities in these areas will help to make you stand out.
I hope this helps.
Charles M Hurd
Aspiring adviser to STEM teens. Explains clearly, exhorts best practices. Raspberry Pi zealot.
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Charles M’s Answer
The question was changed from when I received the email about it. The question I want to answer is "When being a technical writer do you move a lot or is it just sitting on a desk?"
My experience is that technical writers sit at a desk and write, day after day, for months at a time. Then, you might get an exciting time by being able to go to where the airplane, or other equipment, is and actually see it, or touch it for a day or two.
I was educated as an Electrical Engineer in the 1980s and the job offer I received was from Boeing to be a technical writer. They said it was easier to teach an engineer how to write than it was to teach a writer how to engineer. Documenting the maintenance of an aircraft to a low level takes a high level of technical understanding. I had the opportunity to write the first couple of revisions of a component-level maintenance manual for the circuit boards that control the passenger address system on the Boeing 777 Aircraft. It explained how a repair technician would diagnose and repair a failure of components on that circuit card. I never got to see a 777 while it was in the factory, but I was able to go to the 747 landing gear shop and see the very tall landing gear structures as they were being assembled. While at Boeing on a different writing job, I needed to talk with engineers to get the information I needed, because it wasn't written down yet. After I wrote the procedures, I got to go to the systems integration lab (SIL) and actually perform the instructions I was writing to validate that I had written it sufficiently clear. I also got to watch technicians in the US Air Force attempt to follow my instructions. While they did that, I took notes on how to improve the material.
My current job at L3Harris is at a different level. I am writing procedures to tell experienced maintainers how to remove and install pieces of rack-mounted equipment in both the aircraft and in the ground station. This involves careful study of the engineering drawings, including the 3D models of the racks. We are not writing in English, we are using structured writing with the S1000D version of XML. It is English when the technician sees it on the page, but we see the XML tags that wrap around those English words. The editor we use requires that we write the XML code, but it gives us lots of help in making sure the tags are correct. I also need to communicate with engineers to clarify what is not clear in the engineering drawings, and also discuss the review comments they provide about the material we wrote that they reviewed.
Technical writing involves expressing ideas clearly and concisely. Seek out examples and learn from them, but also practice the various types of technical writing as much as you can and get feedback on your efforts from people who know English well.
Learn how to manage long projects from beginning to end and maintain a level of quality good enough for the customer. Determine how long it takes you to do the various task, figure out a schedule of when the project will be done, and then work to that schedule.
Develop your personal quality process that will help you maintain a level of quality that is "good enough" for the customer. Spacecraft and aircraft require a much higher quality level than lawnmowers. You are the one that is in charge of the quality level of your output. Learn to be flexible in balancing speed with quality.
Learn how to find information quickly and learn it quickly. Learn how to express it quickly. I've used my skills in writing instructions for old people on how to use new technology. But I had to deliver it quickly so they could get their task done before the deadline.
Learn how to develop good working relationships with people you don't know. Learn how to elicit the information you need from them in a way that builds the relationship.
My experience is that technical writers sit at a desk and write, day after day, for months at a time. Then, you might get an exciting time by being able to go to where the airplane, or other equipment, is and actually see it, or touch it for a day or two.
I was educated as an Electrical Engineer in the 1980s and the job offer I received was from Boeing to be a technical writer. They said it was easier to teach an engineer how to write than it was to teach a writer how to engineer. Documenting the maintenance of an aircraft to a low level takes a high level of technical understanding. I had the opportunity to write the first couple of revisions of a component-level maintenance manual for the circuit boards that control the passenger address system on the Boeing 777 Aircraft. It explained how a repair technician would diagnose and repair a failure of components on that circuit card. I never got to see a 777 while it was in the factory, but I was able to go to the 747 landing gear shop and see the very tall landing gear structures as they were being assembled. While at Boeing on a different writing job, I needed to talk with engineers to get the information I needed, because it wasn't written down yet. After I wrote the procedures, I got to go to the systems integration lab (SIL) and actually perform the instructions I was writing to validate that I had written it sufficiently clear. I also got to watch technicians in the US Air Force attempt to follow my instructions. While they did that, I took notes on how to improve the material.
My current job at L3Harris is at a different level. I am writing procedures to tell experienced maintainers how to remove and install pieces of rack-mounted equipment in both the aircraft and in the ground station. This involves careful study of the engineering drawings, including the 3D models of the racks. We are not writing in English, we are using structured writing with the S1000D version of XML. It is English when the technician sees it on the page, but we see the XML tags that wrap around those English words. The editor we use requires that we write the XML code, but it gives us lots of help in making sure the tags are correct. I also need to communicate with engineers to clarify what is not clear in the engineering drawings, and also discuss the review comments they provide about the material we wrote that they reviewed.
Charles M recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hello.
I was a Technical Writer for many years. A Technical Writer is really just an writer for a specific story. For example, you have Fiction writers, you have Romance Novel writers, +more writers, and then Technical Writers. Technical Writers write instructions, steps, and documentation for Computer Applications, Software, Hardware, or Networks. Back in the old days, software manuals were quite long and boring. For example, you could find a 2" book on how to use Microsoft Windows. But today, Technical Writers are now creating instructions or documentation using video and short stories. It is no longer appropriate to write a novel in order to describe software or how to use it. People want short, step by step instructions, in a easy to understand format so that they can learn the information and get back to work. The salary for Technical Writers is very good ; with a college degree they starting pay of $60,000 - $100,000+.
To Become a Technical Writer:
Step 1: Most employers prefer a college degree; earn one in Computer Science, English, or Marketing, etc.
Step 2: Take classes on Technical Writing
Step 3: Write some documentation or create technical videos and show your work !
I was a Technical Writer for many years. A Technical Writer is really just an writer for a specific story. For example, you have Fiction writers, you have Romance Novel writers, +more writers, and then Technical Writers. Technical Writers write instructions, steps, and documentation for Computer Applications, Software, Hardware, or Networks. Back in the old days, software manuals were quite long and boring. For example, you could find a 2" book on how to use Microsoft Windows. But today, Technical Writers are now creating instructions or documentation using video and short stories. It is no longer appropriate to write a novel in order to describe software or how to use it. People want short, step by step instructions, in a easy to understand format so that they can learn the information and get back to work. The salary for Technical Writers is very good ; with a college degree they starting pay of $60,000 - $100,000+.
Michael recommends the following next steps: