Technical Writer Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Describe the skills of a successful technical writer. Provide at least three examples and explain importance? Describe the skills of a successful technical writer. Provide at least three examples and explain their importance to the technical writing process. If you were a technical writer, which skills would you consider most vital to your position and why?

Answer: A technical writer translates complex technical information into a form that can be used by the target audience. Technical writers require the ability to express themselves clearly, to understand technical information, and to understand the needs of their audiences. As a technical writer, I find myself relying on my writing (grammar and expression) and editing skills and on my ability to identify important information and to exclude extraneous information.

Question: I want to be a salaried technical writer. How can I avoid constant turnovers in regards to my jobs.? I want to be a salaried technical writer. I do not want to do freelance (except maybe on the side to earn extra money). But I am scared to enter the field because from what I have heard there is a constant fear of job turnover. How can I avoid constant layoffs on the job?

Answer: Get a job in local, state or federal government.

Question: Can I get a job as technical writer in USA? I am currently working as a technical writer in India. I am planning to move to USA, can I get a job as technical writer there?

Answer: You'll never know until you try :o) The key will be how you will make the move. If you are moving as an immigrant, then it will be easy to make the transition and find a job as a technical writer -- depending of course on your skills, how you present yourself, etc. If you are hoping to move to the US based on the job, then it may be a little trickier and harder as you will first find an employer willing to sponsor you for a work visa. Not always easy, especially with the tough economic climate in the US where layoffs are done left to right. And yes, the easiest to let go are the H1B visa holders.

Question: How can I become a technical writer? I have a B.A. in journalism, and a master's in an unrelated field. I am familiar with style manuals. I am a highly analytical thinker. How can I get started as a technical writer? What does it take to break in?

Answer: You need some general familiarity in the technology field. For starters, suggest you go get a job as a QA tester. There you can test applications/products and stuff and get a feel for how they are developed, implemented, managed, and supported. With that knowledge/experience and of course, gloat about your excellent writing skills via b.a. in journalism, see if you can then get a job as tech writer. Tech writing isn't that hard of a job, it's basically someone with a little technical background writing up documentation for how a product or application works and it's inner details.

Question: What programs should a technical writer get certified in? How/where does one get certified? I want to get certified in RoboHelp. How do I do this? What other programs should an aspiring technical writer get certified in?

Answer: Look at the resources on http://www.stc.org/ This is the Society for Technical Communicators. I believe you will find more specific information on this site to address your question.

Question: What is the salary of an entry-level technical writer/editor in the Seattle area? What is the salary of an entry-level technical writer/editor in the Seattle area? Does Google or Microsoft hire new grads usually?

Answer: According to Salary.com, in the $35,000 range. Your best bet is to get an internship before you graduate. Major companies don't like hiring people who have no experience, no matter what kind of degree they have.

Question: What Degree If Needed Do I Need To Become A Technical Writer? I am really interesting in becoming a technical writer.I believe it is a career i would really enjoy.I am in college right now and wanted to know what classes besides an actual technical writing class i should take and what type of degree i should pursue for that career

Answer: Most successful tech writers have a degree in the field that they write about with significant additional work in writing, editing, grammar, etc... A degree in technical writing (at least at the bachelor's level) isn't nearly as useful because what you really have to have is the ability to take technical subject content and put it into language your intended audience will understand - that requires considerable understanding of the field you're writing about. Some people use journalism classes when there isn't a tech writing program where they are attending. Any writing experience is better than none. The largest demand for technical writers is in the field of technology; especially computers but also consumer electronics. Next would be in the various sciences.

Question: Technical Writer? I am basically a home maker and mother of two kids. i have done my B.Sc in Computers in 1997. As my children have grown up and i have some free time. i plan to take up technical training and initially start as a freelancer. Can anyone give me some reviews on it? What is the scope for it? i am from bangalore india.

Answer: There is a lot of scope. But the key is to be able to find the business to support this. elance.com used to be place for this kind of stuff. start there and see.

Question: Which job is a lot better?Call center agent or Technical Writer? The call center job pays handsome salary but it has high burnout since it is a highly stressful type of job. The technical writing job is paid well but not as high as that of the call center agent. But i am not sure if technical writer could be as highly stressful also as a call center job.If so, would it be wiser to take call center job?If i will choose technical writer,does it have great career opportunities?Overall, which job do you think is way lot better for a long term career if i get to be qualified to both?

Answer: Be a technical writer if you can.

Question: What skills do i need to become a successful technical writer? i am not sure if to become a technical or a project manager can someone please tell me what is required for both and what skills i need. I am currently going into the IT. Thank you

Answer: Which career path are you asking about? = You mentioned three: technical writer, technical manager, and project manager. - Technical writing demands a command of English grammar, especially language & punctuation.

Question: What College Degree Program is required to become a Technical Writer? I'm currently looking for schools in the Minneapolis area that offer programs to become a Tech Writer but I am having a hard time finding this offered program. Any Tech Writers out there or anyone who knows what college program I should take would help me out, Thanks :)

Answer: Most technical writers don't have a degree in technical writing but instead get a degree in the field that they write about and a certificate in technical writing. An example program would be the one at UC-Riverside (http://www.extension.ucr.edu/certificates/technical/ ) or U Washington (http://www.outreach.washington.edu/ext/certificates/twe/twe_gen.asp ) or UC-Berkeley (http://www.unex.berkeley.edu/cert/techcom.html ) The degree, if you want one in the specific field is most often called Technical Communication but you will find that, at least at the undergraduate level, a degree in the specific technical field is more useful to the tech writer/editor. Rutgers (http://skillcenter.rutgers.edu/ ) does a vocational skill certification in Technical Writing that is pretty interesting and can show you where your strengths are. Technical writing is all about our strengths since we will refer out work that is in our weak areas. Of course, the more strong areas you have, the more work you can expect to find. A large number of tech writers are self-employed/freelancers.

Question: Work as a technical writer or a call center agent? The call center job pays handsome salary but it has high burnout due to a stressful type of job. The technical writing job is paid well but not as high as that of the call center agent. But i wonder which of the two would be more satisfying when i get to be qualified to both?

Answer: Call centers will drive u crazy trust I used to work at one for GM. You can make alot of money because it's always some overtime. Just be careful that u don't get burnout with the stressfull calls that you will be recieving.

Question: how to prepare for aptitude test for a ' technical writer' and an 'instructional designer'? ........ pls gimme tips regarding the preparation of a kob interview and aptitude test for ' a technical writer ' and an 'instructional designer'.....

Answer: An aptitude test is a test that shows your inclination so if you really want to take it then do not prepare for it. However if you have made up your mind irrespective of any test than go to a library and study a few sample tests. There are general books in the library that also prepare you for such interviews. Here are some: "what is the colour of your parachute" "The power of positive thinking' "How to make friends and influence people".

Question: What is the difference between a technical writer and a copy writer? What are the skill sets required for each position?

Answer: They actually are quite similar. Both will require some sort of degree in English, creative writing, journalism, or something like that. Technical writers usually are employed to write things like manuals on how to use technical products. Lots of large companies (i.e. Intel, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Nikon, etc) that build technology products hire technical writers to produce things like the configuration guides, the set-up manuals, the repair manuals, etc. Technical writers usually have some sort of English or writing degree, plus they have had some training on the products that they are writing about, or they may have technical certificates such as a CCNA if they are writing about Cisco networking or a Microsoft Certification if they are writing about Microsoft products. They frequently need to be able to understand high-level engineering concepts and they need to be able to turn "Engineering-speak" into "user-speak". Copy writers can also be technical writers (just like technical writers can be copy writers) ,but lots of times they'll work on things like advertising brochures, commercials, news print, magazine articles, etc. where they may not necessarily have to have a technical understanding of what they are writing about, but they know how to put the correct wording together or how to get the most impact out of the words that are used. They usually will work on broader types of projects than Technical writers will.

Question: What are the academic qualifications required to get a job as a technical writer? Also, what exactly is the job description/job profile like? And what kind of experience is required?

Answer: I have friends who are technical writers, one has a major in english with a minor in computer science. You are going to want other technical experience.

Question: How can I get a job as a technical writer; I have no experience? I think I'd be good at this but need help as to how I can start considering I have no experience in this area. However, I do have experience in other types of writing. Maybe this can help? Where can I get training and is it necessary / a prerequisite to have for potential jobs?

Answer: The advice given by those above are all good and deserve a thumbs up. It would help to know a little more of your background. What is meant when you say you have other types of writing experience? Do you at least have a bachelor's degree? (It's a basic requirement) I, myself was offered employment before for a technical writing position at Continental Data Graphics, a subsidiary of Boeing. For that position I had to show them samples of my writing from my publications that I had from my Masters and PhD in Physics. I did not need a Technical writing certificate. However, during other interviews at other companies, they requested I get a Technical Writing Certification before I apply to be a technical writer. Anther company (I believe it was a company that did brochures for Lasik and some other medical companies) had me write some sample promotions on some of the products as part of the application process. So you can see, from my experience, there is no real standard on what companies look for when hiring a technical writer. It helps to have published writing samples in the technical field. It also helps to have certification to expand on the number of employers that will hire you. I advise that you find at least 3 samples of writing that you are confident about that represents your best technical writing skills on hand for interviews and applications. If you have time and money, get a certification for technical writing. To get your foot in the door, look for contract and part-time technical writing work in the newspaper, online etc to get experience. When I was looking for work, I found small businesses that contracted out work for technical writers to do simple and small tasks that provide valuable experience and if you do a good job you can use them as a reference. Finally, go to job fairs and expos to see what type of companies are in your area and so you can talk to representatives to see what they are looking for in technical writers. Every company is different. Listed below is the company that offered me a position as a technical writer. Also there is a website to find job fairs in your area. There are a lot more resources out there, but you should e able to find them with some diligence. Good Luck