Technical writing is a growing career field due to the increasing demand for documentation in hi-tech industries. Technical writers are needed to write user guides, manuals, and other materials to explain complex technology to users. The field is accessible to people with backgrounds in various fields like English, journalism, or liberal arts, as technical writing requires strong writing skills more than technical expertise. Employment of technical writers is expected to grow faster than average through 2008 due to growth in the technology sector. Technical writing offers opportunities for creative and analytical people to earn salaries ranging from $25,100 to $79,020 annually.

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The lure of the Hi-Tech computer world is irresistible for most because of
the success stories of instant millionaires, IPO offerings, entrepreneurial victories,
and, well, the demand for talent.
With the advance of personal computing, the World Wide Web, and E-
Commerce, the high technology sector, once the domain of inventors, scientists,
and engineers, is now accessible to the average citizen who can partake in the
riches offered in this millennium gold rush. One way to advance into this
privileged I.T. world is through Technical Writing.
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Every software and hardware manufacturer, every ISO compliant
company, and every E-Commerce retailer must market and document their
products, services, processes, and provides technical information to consumers.
Hi-Tech companies seek highly literate, educated writers and professional
communicators, and are willing to train them. Technical writers come from the
journalism, English Lit, and liberal arts curriculums, and like some older people,
graduated from college without ever touching a computer. One technical writer
said, “ I only learned word processing so I could write a novel...a few years later,
I fell into tech writing and became a consultant earning $40 hourly.”
The demand for computer literate, technically savvy employees boomed in
the 1990s, and despite the naysayers, there is no end in sight. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics reports, “Information technology jobs are projected to be among
the fastest growing occupations through 2006.
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Information technology occupations include database administrators,
computer support specialists, and all other computer scientists, engineers, and
systems analysts.
Median annual earnings for technical writers were $47,560 in 1999
according to the Society for Technical Communication (http://www.stc-va.org/)
and the BLS latest reports indicate technical writers earn a mean hourly wage of
$20 and salaries ranging from $25,100 to $79,020.
Employment of writers and editors is expected to increase ‘faster than the
average,’ an increase anywhere from 21 to 35 percent for writers through the
year 2008. According to the BLS, ‘’opportunities should be best for technical
writers because of the growth in the high technology and electronics industries
and the resulting need for people to write users’ guides, instruction manuals, and
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training materials. This work requires people who are not only technically skilled
as writers but are able to keep pace with changing technology. Also, individuals
with the technical skills for working on the Internet may have an advantage
finding a job as a writer or editor.”
Technical writing seems to cover a wide area. Not only do tech writers
create a variety of written and online documentation that explains how to use
high tech products, but also they design and publish promotional materials, as
well as prepare illustrations, photographs, diagrams, and charts. Graphics and
web design are part of this fast growing industry.
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Once the domain of those who could only translate computer languages,
Tech writers are now the English Lit majors who know their way around
computer software, and can learn the jargon of the engineers or the
manufacturer they work for.
Jim Desmond, president of Technical Standards, a documentation facility
and an agency placing technical writers, says “with technology changing so fast,
someone has to be the link between the engineers and the users - that’s where
the technical writers come in. This is a great career opportunity for people to
use both their creative and analytical skills.”
For more information about tech writing and training, contact: Tech
Standards through their website, (http://www. techstandards.com)
Or telephone 800-889-7116. Tech Standards is located in San Marcos
California at 1145 Linda Vista Drive, Suite 104.
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