Technical Writers
Career, Salary and Education Information
What They Do: Technical writers prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily.
Work Environment: Most technical writers work full time. Although technical writers work in a variety of industries, they are concentrated in the computer and management, scientific, and technical industries.
How to Become One: A college degree is usually required for a position as a technical writer. In addition, knowledge of or experience with a technical subject, such as science or engineering, is beneficial.
Salary: The median annual wage for technical writers is $78,060.
Job Outlook: Employment of technical writers is projected to grow 6 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of technical writers with similar occupations.
Following is everything you need to know about a career as a technical writer with lots of details. As a first step, take a look at some of the following jobs, which are real jobs with real employers. You will be able to see the very real job career requirements for employers who are actively hiring. The link will open in a new tab so that you can come back to this page to continue reading about the career:
Top 3 Technical Writer Jobs
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Procedure Writer III
- Richland, Washington
- Richland, WA
CTG is seeking to fill a Procedure Writer III opening for our client in Richland, WA. Location ... Provide technical expertise on procedure issues.Resolve procedure issues with reviewers.Develop ...
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DCO Information Systems Security Engineer (ISSE)
- Clark Creative Solutions
- 93042, CA
Minimum Qualifications Must have a minimum 3 years of relevant, Information Systems Security Engineering or IT experience in performing system issue analysis, risk management, technical writing ...
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Project Architect
- RAND Engineering & Architecture, DPC
- New York, NY
Applicants should send cover letter, resume, technical writing sample, and salary requirements to jkuther@randpc.com. Pay: $70,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year
What Technical Writers Do[About this section] [To Top]
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 of Technical Writers
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[About this section] [To Top]
Technical writers hold about 55,400 jobs. The largest employers of technical writers are as follows:
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 36% |
| Manufacturing | 13% |
| Administrative and support services | 9% |
| Publishing industries (except Internet) | 6% |
Most technical writers work full time. 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 freelance and are paid per assignment. Freelancers are either self-employed or work for a technical consulting firm and are given short-term or recurring assignments, such as writing about a new product.
Technical writing jobs are usually concentrated in locations with a multitude of information technology or scientific and technical research companies, such as ones in California and Texas.
Technical Writer Work Schedules
Technical writers may be expected to work evenings and weekends to meet deadlines.
How to Become a Technical Writer[About this section] [To Top]
Get the education you need: Find schools for Technical Writers near you!
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 for Technical Writers
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 for Technical Writers
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.
Technical Writer Training
Many technical writers need short-term on-the-job training to adapt to a different style of writing.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations for Technical Writers
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 for Technical Writers
Prospects for advancement generally include working on more complex projects and leading or training junior staff.
Important Qualities for Technical Writers
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 Writer Salaries[About this section] [More salary/earnings info] [To Top]
The median annual wage for technical writers is $78,060. 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 $48,890, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $125,010.
The median annual wages for technical writers in the top industries in which they work are as follows:
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $80,150 |
| Administrative and support services | $77,940 |
| Manufacturing | $77,390 |
| Publishing industries (except Internet) | $75,710 |
Technical writers may be expected to work evenings and weekends to meet deadlines. Most work full time.
Job Outlook for Technical Writers[About this section] [To Top]
Employment of technical writers is projected to grow 6 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 5,400 openings for technical writers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment of Technical Writers
As product innovation continues, technical writers will be needed to convert complex information into a format that nontechnical users of these products understand. The continuing expansion of scientific and technical products and growth in digital product support needs will drive employment demand for these writers.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Technical writers | 55,400 | 58,400 | 6 | 3,100 |
More Technical Writer Information[About this section] [To Top]
For more information about technical writers, visit
American Medical Writers Association
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.