What is technical Writing?
The main job of technical writers is quite important. Someone has to read the dense jargon-filled documents and research that is out there. That is one of the jobs of technical writers, but the most important part of their job comes after. They need to relay this highly specialized information to an average everyday person. Their goal is to help people understand whatever it is they are writing about whether it is about ObamaCare or it is about how to hook up a television.
Technical writing is communication/ writing that is not expression. It is fact based. The audience is extremely important in this field since they need to understand. A technical writer also aims to be direct as well as thorough. Technical writers translate highly specialized language into something everyone can understand. We have all needed this done for us. Would you know how to re-wire a lamp? Probably not, but a technical writer surely can tell you.
Now that I know their purpose is, what do they write?
A technical writer's job responsibilities vary from business to business. It also depends on their areas of expertise. They could work in the field of:
Technical Writers work in a variety of genres:
- Engineering
- Medicine
- Technology (household, computer, phones, etc)
- Communications
Technical Writers work in a variety of genres:
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Salary
The median salary for a technical writer is about $60,000 per year. This figure depends on experience in the field as well as which company you are working for. A Nuclear Procedures writer makes around $120,000 in Philadelphia while a Technical Support writer makes around $35,000 per year.
Educational Requirements
A bachelor's degree in writing, journalism, or related field is required to be a technical writer. For example, if you are applying for a job as a medical researcher, you should have background in that field.
Skills Required
As a technical writer you should be able to:
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a day in the life
Most technical writers' days are spent reading. That's right, reading not writing. They need to understand the given topic as thoroughly as possible- nothing can be left unknown about this. They have to read multiple articles to understand the pros and cons of a topic or to go through each step by step set of instructions.
Through all of this reading, they gain the knowledge to explain things to their audience.
Another aspect of a technical writer's day is spent collaborating with other technical writers. Questions like "What does this mean? Which step should come first? Will the audience understand? Are all of the cautions laid out and explain properly?" are all explored.
Of course, a part of the job is also crafting the document that will be released to the public who may or may not know about the subject.
Through all of this reading, they gain the knowledge to explain things to their audience.
Another aspect of a technical writer's day is spent collaborating with other technical writers. Questions like "What does this mean? Which step should come first? Will the audience understand? Are all of the cautions laid out and explain properly?" are all explored.
Of course, a part of the job is also crafting the document that will be released to the public who may or may not know about the subject.