Job Outlook for:
Technical Writers
SOC: 27-3042 OOH: U163
| Technical Writers Quick Stats |
|
| Total Jobs in 2016 | 52,400 |
| Expected Growth | 11% (Faster than average) |
| New Jobs To Be Added from 2016 to 2026 |
5,700 |
| Median Pay | $55,000 to $74,999 |
- Job Outlook for Technical Writers
- Pay for Technical Writers
- What do Technical Writers do all day
- The work environment
- How to become one
Employment Outlook for Technical Writers
Employment of technical writers is projected to grow 11 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations.
The continuing expansion of scientific and technical products and growth in Web-based product support will drive employment demand for technical writers. Growth and change in the high-technology and electronics industries will result in a greater need for those who can write instruction manuals and communicate information clearly to users.
Professional, scientific, and technical services firms are expected to continue to grow rapidly and should be a good source of new jobs even as the occupation finds acceptance in a broader range of industries.
Job Prospects
Job opportunities, especially for applicants with technical skills, are expected to be good. The growing reliance on technologically sophisticated products in the home and the workplace and the increasing complexity of medical and scientific information that consumers demand will create many new job opportunities for technical writers.
In addition, the need to replace workers who retire over the coming decade will result in some job openings. However, there will be competition among freelance technical writers.
Typical Pay for Technical Writers
The median annual wage for technical writers was $69,850 in May 2016. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $41,700, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $111,260.
In May 2016, the median annual wages for technical writers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $71,910 |
| Administrative and support services | 69,580 |
| Publishing industries (except Internet) | 69,300 |
| Manufacturing | 68,900 |
Technical writers may be expected to work evenings and weekends to coordinate with those in other time zones or to meet deadlines. Most work full time.
What Technical Writers Do All Day
Technical writers, also called technical communicators, prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily. They also develop, gather, and disseminate technical information through an organization’s communications channels.
Duties
Technical writers typically do the following:
- Determine the needs of users of technical documentation
- Study product samples and talk with product designers and developers
- Work with technical staff to make products easier to use and thus require fewer instructions
- Write and organize supporting content for products
- Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel
- Use photographs, drawings, diagrams, animation, and charts that increase users’ understanding of the material
- Select appropriate medium for message or audience, such as manuals or online videos
- Standardize content across platforms and media
- Gather user feedback to update and improve content
- Revise content as new issues arise
Technical writers create paper-based and digital operating instructions, how-to manuals, assembly instructions, and “frequently asked questions” pages to help technical support staff, consumers, and other users within a company or an industry. After a product is released, technical writers also may work with product liability specialists and customer-service managers to improve the end-user experience through product design changes.
Technical writers often work with computer hardware engineers, computer support specialists, and software developers to manage the flow of information among project workgroups during development and testing. Therefore, technical writers must be able to understand complex information and communicate the information to people with diverse professional backgrounds.
Applying their knowledge of the user of the product, technical writers may serve as part of a team conducting usability studies to help improve the design of a product that is in the prototype stage. Technical writers may conduct research on their topics through personal observation, library and Internet research, and discussions with technical specialists.
Technical writers are also responsible for managing the consistency of technical content and its use across business departments including product development, manufacturing, marketing, and customer relations.
Some technical writers help write grant proposals for research scientists and institutions.
Increasingly, technical information is being delivered online and through social media. Technical writers are using the interactive technologies of the Web and social media to blend text, graphics, multidimensional images, sound, and video.
Work Environment for Technical Writers
Technical writers held about 52,400 jobs in 2016. The largest employers of technical writers were as follows:
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 39% |
| Manufacturing | 15 |
| Publishing industries (except Internet) | 9 |
| Administrative and support services | 8 |
Most technical writers work in offices. They routinely work with engineers and other technology experts to manage the flow of information throughout an organization.
Although most technical writers are employed directly by the companies that use their services, some work on a freelance basis and are paid per assignment. Either they are self-employed, or they work for a technical consulting firm and are given specific short-term or recurring assignments, such as writing about a new product or coordinating the work and communication among different offices to keep a project on track.
Technical writing jobs are usually concentrated in locations, such as California and Texas, with a multitude of information technology or scientific and technical research companies.
Work Schedules
Technical writers may be expected to work evenings and weekends to coordinate with those in other time zones or to meet deadlines. Most work full time.
How To Become a Technical Writer
A college degree is usually required for a position as a technical writer. In addition, experience with a technical subject, such as computer science, Web design, or engineering, is important.
Education
Employers generally prefer candidates with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, or communications. Many technical writing jobs require both a degree and knowledge in a specialized field, such as engineering, computer science, or medicine. Web design experience also is helpful because of the growing use of online technical documentation.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
Some technical writers begin their careers as specialists or research assistants in a technical field. They eventually develop technical communication skills and assume primary responsibilities for technical writing. In small firms, entry-level technical writers may work on projects right away; in larger companies with more standard procedures, beginners may observe experienced technical writers and interact with specialists before being assigned projects.
Training
Many technical writers need short-term on-the-job training to adapt to a different style of writing.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Some associations, including the Society for Technical Communication, offer certification for technical writers. In addition, the American Medical Writers Association offers extensive continuing education programs and certificates in medical writing. These certificates are available to professionals in the medical and allied scientific communication fields.
Although not mandatory, certification can demonstrate competence and professionalism, making candidates more attractive to employers. It can also increase a technical writer’s opportunities for advancement.
Advancement
Prospects for advancement generally include working on more complex projects and leading or training junior staff.
Important Qualities
Critical-thinking skills. Technical writers must be able to take complex, technical information and simplify it for colleagues and consumers who have nontechnical backgrounds.
Detail oriented. Technical writers create detailed instructions for others to follow. As a result, they must be detailed and precise at every step so that the instructions can be useful.
Imagination. Technical writers must be able to think about a procedure or product in the way a person without technical experience would think about it.
Teamwork. Technical writers must be able to work well with others. They are almost always part of a team: with other writers; with designers, editors, and illustrators; and with the technical people whose information they are explaining.
Technical skills. Technical writers must be able to understand highly complex information. Many technical writers need a background in engineering or computer science in order to do this.
Writing skills. Technical communicators must have excellent writing skills to be able to explain technical information clearly.
"Technical Writers" SOC: 27-3042 OOH Code: U163