The document summarizes careers in technical communication for English majors. It outlines the skills needed for technical communication jobs, common disciplines and career opportunities. It also describes the benefits of joining the Society for Technical Communication, including networking, professional development and discounted conferences/certification. Technical communication offers a growing job market with competitive salaries.

1. RACHEL HOUGHTON AND
BETHANY BOWLES
Careers in Technical
Communication for English Majors
Presentation for the Sigma Tau Delta International Conference
March 21, 2013

2. Agenda
 Technical communication
 Skills
 Disciplines
 Career opportunities
 Paths to careers in tech comm
 Society for Technical Communication
 Values
 Benefits of membership

3. Technical Communication is …
• Communicating about technical or specialized topics in
terms the layperson can understand
• Communicating by using technology, including
emerging new media
• Providing instructions about how to do something

4. Skills
• Core skills in writing and editing
• Creative page design
• Photography and videography
• Technical illustration
• International communication: “Global English” for non-
native-English speakers and for translation
• Training and education
• Web and IT skills

5. Creativity
 Visual design
 Photo
 Video
 Technical illustration

6. Writing
“Tech writing? Yccch! Bor-r-r-r-
ing!”
“Not so. The days of ‘Tina the
Brittle Technical Communicator’
in Dilbert are gone! New
technologies bring new
excitement in exercising
traditional skills.”

7. Linguistics and International Communication
Source: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Dec12/LinguisticsOutreach.html

8. Education and Training
 Training is much more
than manuals!
 Online rhetoric
 Tutorials
 Web-based instruction
 Textbooks
 New media

9. Rhetorical (Audience) Analysis
• The basic principles of rhetoric apply to business communication
as well as to literature and the arts:
o Research your market
o Know your readers/viewers

10. Collaboration
• Teamwork is critical in technical communication
• Collaborative writing is the norm in the field
• Your communication skills also posture you well for
leadership in collaborative teams in the workplace

11. Web/IT Skills
 Opportunities for both
analytical and creative
technical writing and
marketing communication
 Web site content and
design
 Blogs
 Wikis
 Social media
 IT expertise for
collaborative writing
environments

12. Disciplines
• Technical writing and editing
• Hardware and software documentation
• Technical marketing communication (e.g., proposals, brochures)
• Scientific writing (and “ghost writing”)
• Medical writing
• Grant proposals
• Web design
• Usability and accessibility
• Indexing
• Information/knowledge management
• Instructional design

13. Interdisciplinary Approach
An interdisciplinary approach is essential to
successful technical communication, because the
profession spans so many disciplines.

14. Tech Writing/Editing
 Hardware and software documentation
 Policies and procedures
 Textbooks
 Proposals
 Marketing collateral
 Video scripts
 Magazine articles
 Copy editing for publishers

15. Traditional Tech Writing
 Instructions for
installing, maintaining,
and repairing hardware
 Instructions on how to
properly use software
 Detailed manufacturing
process plans
 User manuals for
everything from toasters
to automobiles
 Medical reports and
research articles

16. Research
 Pure
 Applied
 Research and writing
within the field of
technical communication
 Collaborative writing
with SMEs researching
within their specialty

17. Aerospace & Industry
 Proposals to capture new
business
 Technical reports and
presentations
 Marketing collateral to
attract new customers
 Multi-media presentations
 Web site content and
design
 Internal policies and
procedures
 Employee communications
 Media relations
 Community relations

18. Advertising & Marketing Communications
 Advertising across multiple
media
 Print
 Radio
 TV
 Billboards
 Web sites
 Social media
 Diverse marketing collateral
 Brochures
 Flyers
 Fact sheets
 Trade show graphics
 Narrated video
 Web sites

19. Writing for Non-Profits
 Grant proposals
 Fund-raising collaterals
 Literature for those who
are served by the non-
profits
 Web site design, content,
and maintenance
 Empathy and
commitment

20. Healthcare
 Editing or ghost-writing
articles by physicians for
medical journals
 Patient-oriented web sites
 Flyers describing illnesses
and treatments, for
doctors’ offices
 Medical transcription
 Instructions for
prescription medication
 Marketing collaterals and
web sites for for-profit
hospitals, pharmaceutical
companies, etc.

21. Gaming
 Game designers
 Documentation writers
and designers
 Strategy guide writers
 Promotional writers
Excellent article in STC’s intercom magazine:
http://intdev.stc.org/2012/01/its-all-in-the-game-
technical-communications-role-in-game-
documentation/

22. Career Opportunities
• Technical communication spans many disciplines  the
job market is huge
• Unless technology stands still, it will always be a growth
market
• Companies are beginning to realize that poor writing and
poor communication hurt their bottom line
• Solving that problem taps into your core skills as English
majors

23. Tap Core Skills
 Writing accurately
 Writing clearly
 Writing concisely
 Writing coherently
 Writing creatively
 Tapping diverse media
 Crossing boundaries and cultures

24. Growing Job Market
There are 45,000+ technical writers in the U.S.!
Geographical Distribution of Jobs in Technical Communication

25. Competitive Compensation
State
Technical Writers Reporters, Correspondents Public Relations Specialists
Employed Mean
$/y
Median
$/y
Employed Mean
$/y
Median
$/y
Employed Mean
$/y
Median
$/y
Oregon 570 69.6K 74.5K 580 38.5K 32.4K 2,180 55.6K 52.2K
Maryland 2,000 70.0K 69.7K 600 39.0K 30.7K 2,900 70.7K 62.1K
New
Hampshire
180 71.1K 65.3K 190 43.8K 38.6K 870 60.5K 55.2K
New Jersey 1,530 71.5K 67.7K 860 47.3K 42.9K 3,820 64.6K 58.2K
Connecticut 910 71.7K 72.2K 570 40.8K 34.6K 990 59.4K 56.6K
Virginia 2,880 76.3K 72.9K 960 41.9K 35.0K 7,300 69.3K 62.6K
Washington 1,610 79.5K 79.7K 740 44.4K 34.4K 4,990 59.3K 56.2K
Massachusetts 1,960 82.1K 81.5K 1,170 64.1K 52.4K 8,650 62.1K 56.7K
California 5,910 84.4K 80.1K 4,010 48.5K 38.7K 22,920 71.0K 62.6K
U.S. 45,120 67.3K 64.6K 45,270 43.6K 34.9K 212,510 60.4K 52.4K
Salary Comparison Table, Part 1
Data is shown for the 9 states with the highest salaries in technical writing,
plus the national average.

26. Competitive Compensation (Cont.)
State
Technical Writers Editors Writers and Authors
Employed Mean
$/y
Median
$/y
Employed Mean
$/y
Median
$/y
Employed Mean
$/y
Median
$/y
Oregon 570 69.6K 74.5K 1,050 52.8K 52.2K 630 56.4K 52.7K
Maryland 2,000 70.0K 69.7K 2,150 59.2K 55.2K 900 73.5K 66.6K
New
Hampshire
180 71.1K 65.3K 330 51.0K 46.4K 240 51.3K 48.1K
New Jersey 1,530 71.5K 67.7K 3,450 64.6K 58.2K 1,070 57.5k 53.3k
Connecticut 910 71.7K 72.2K 990 59.4K 56.6K 380 63.8K 62.2K
Virginia 2,880 76.3K 72.9K 3,190 59.8K 55.2K 1,640 62.4K 57.0K
Washington 1,610 79.5K 79.7K 2,580 64.0K 55.5K 870 70.7K 66.3K
Massachusetts 1,960 82.1K 81.5K 3,860 65.8K 58.2K 960 65.9K 58.7K
California 5,910 84.4K 80.1K 10,930 60.3K 52.9K 6,500 93.7K 65.2K
U.S. 45,120 67.3K 64.6K 98,990 60.5K 52.4K 40,930 68.1K 55.9K
Salary Comparison Table, Part 2
The mean and median salaries for tech writers are much closer than for other writers,
reflecting dependable income.

27. Tech Writing Salaries Around the U.S.
Tech Writing Salaries in Major Metropolitan Areas
The higher the concentration of technology and industry, the higher the salaries.

28. Paths to Careers in Tech Comm

29. On-the-Job Training
Before tech writing programs appeared in
universities, “OJT” was the only path to a
career in technical communication

30. Degree Programs
 B.A. in tech comm
 M.A. in tech comm
 Ph.D. in tech comm
 Undergraduate minor in
tech comm
 A certificate based on a
given number of courses
in tech comm

31. Professional Certification
 STC-developed
professional certification
program
 Portfolio-based, not test-
based
 Candidates submit work
samples demonstrating
core competencies
 Faster and cheaper than
degrees or certificates

32. STC Membership

33. Society for Technical Communication
 Largest and oldest professional association dedicated
to the advancement of technical communication
 Sets the global standards for technical communication
 Members reach across every industry and continent
 Produces a wide array of educational events
 Publishes award-winning publications: intercom and
Technical Communication (a quarterly peer-reviewed
journal)
 Maintains a comprehensive website including an
extensive archive of webinars
 World’s largest technical communication conference

34. Values Behaviors
 Innovation
 Integrity
 Professionalism
 Respect
 Commitment
 Transparency
 Open communication
 Inclusion
 Leadership
Values and Behaviors

35. Benefits of Membership
• Affiliation (geographic or virtual) with an STC student
chapter
• Affiliation (geographic or virtual) with an STC
geographic chapter
• Affiliation with one STC special interest group (SIG) in
a technical communication discipline of particular
interest to you
• Access to salary scales, job listings, and other valuable
intellectual property on the international STC web site

36. Benefits of Membership (Cont.)
 Eligibility for STC
student mentoring
programs
 Professional networking
 E-access to industry-
leading professional
publications
 Reduced rates for STC
conferences, webinars
(plus free webinars), and
certification in technical
communication

37. Career Growth
Networking within your
Affiliated STC Communities
Job Search and
Placement
Career
Advancement
Professional
Development

38. Mentoring
Student Mentoring Programs:
The Why’s, How’s, and More
Bethany Bowles and Rachel Houghton
Presentation to Sigma Tau Delta International Conference
March 21, 2013

39. Joining STC

40. Membership Levels
Student
Membership
New Technical
Communicator
Classic
Membership

41. Special for Sigma Tau Delta Members
•50% discount on membership
for the rest of 2013 (save
$37.50)
•Eligible for 33% discount on
student renewal for 2014
(save $25.00)*
• Sign up at the conference
• Call 1-571-366-1909
• barbra.sanders@stc.org
Offer Ends April 30!
* Renew by Dec 31, 2013.

42. Questions? Come See Us!
•SMEs from STC for questions and answers
•Materials on the benefits of STC membership
•Materials on the various disciplines within technical
communication
•Materials on careers in technical communication
•Materials on core skills for technical communicators
•Typical salary scales for jobs in technical communication
•“Toolkit” (printed book and accompanying DVD) on how to
establish and sustain a student mentoring program
•Discounted STC student memberships!
•Free giveaways!

43. Better Together!
The Society for Technical
Communication

44. Thank you for
Coming!
Feel free to contact us!
 Rachel Houghton
 rjhoughton@gmail.com
 Twitter rjhoughton
 Bethany Bowles
 bethanybowles@gmail.com
 Dan Voss*
 daniel.w.voss@lmco.com
*Co-developer of presentation.