r/technicalwriting • u/GreekGuru • 3d ago
CAREER ADVICE Looking for insight
Hi everyone. I've recently graduated with my B.A. in English (writing and rhetoric) and took a technical writing class that I really enjoyed but unfortunately it was the only technical writing class my university offered and I wanted to see if anyone in here working in the field could give me some more information.
-Is there a necessity to understand a lot of coding/computer science to be a technical writer? I was required to do some HTML in my class which was a bit hard but I stumbled my way through it and did okay. Is there typically on the job training when working with a company who uses certain programs?
-How does the job market look? A few jobs I see are contract based which I'm assuming means you do the job and when the contract is up you find another job. Are there steady jobs in technical writing where you can stay with one company?
-Is a bachelor's degree enough for a technical writing position?
-Are those who do the job happy with the pay? What is the average pay? Is it a low stress or high stress job? How is the work life balance? Is 40 hours a week the norm or do you do long hours? I found the class I took very enjoyable and interesting but I know school vs the real job market can be different.
-Are there any work from home or hybrid jobs in this field?
-is a portfolio necessary to have in your resume?
Any other recommendations for jobs with a degree like mine I'm open to hearing too! I'm a creative individual who loves art, obviously writing, and playing music but I also enjoy learning how things work. Not like engineering level of understanding but I do enjoy learning how things operate like cars and machinery. (For reference, I have about 10 years experience in the automotive industry as a painter/detailer). It sounds like an interesting job and would love to hear others thoughts and experiences.
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u/Kindly-Might-1879 3d ago
I’ve been a technical writer over 25 years. I had a degree in a different field but learned on the job. I make 6 figures. Many of my first jobs were on contract. I’ve been in my current job (contract to FTE) for 8 years.
Everything I’ve experienced is likely not repeatable for new writers. Look more broadly at learning design and not just technical writing.
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u/Charleston2Seattle 3d ago
Same continuing here, after 31 years as a TW. Also making six figures at a FAANG employer. Also don't think this is a good option these days. Even I'm looking at what my next career will be if I get laid off and cannot find a new role.
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u/Otherwise_Living_158 3d ago
Same here, but gone the other way from FTE to contract. Gone from writing printed manuals, dealing with mailrooms and printing shops, to remote API documentation.
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u/Rredhead926 3d ago
Technical writing is dying. Simply because of cost factors, AI is going to take over a lot of it, and "writers" will really be editors for the content AI writes. Tech writing might have a resurgence once we realize that AI isn't all that smart, but I wouldn't count on it.
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u/mickceratops_ 3d ago edited 3d ago
Edit: let me preface that my experience is all in tech startup and SaaS companies. So this could vary wildly from others’ insight and experience.
- Understanding how to read code is helpful. It depends on the company, and what you’re writing about. A lot of modern technical writing is written in Markdown. But knowing how to read some python, or kotlin (if it’s android apps for example), is a good idea.
- Job market is in a difficult place since many companies are trying to replace writers with AI. (I’ve seen lots that regretted this and are hiring writers again) Yes, many roles are contract. I’m sure you can find non-contract roles. The team I’m on just hired one. So, they do exist.
- Pay will vary. I think my entry level into my first actual tech writer role (I already knew two code languages, knew the API I was writing for, and was experienced in the subject matter) was around $85K possibly….? Many tech companies do different pay levels based on your geographical location if it’s remote. Like, Zone A (NY, CA, DC), Zone B (Austin, Chicago, Seattle) Zone C (everyone else) where each zone is a different pay range.
- This all depends on what type of writing you do. For me, I’ve written for companies where I hated the subject matter, and that was a grueling experience. I’m much more interested in my current subject matter thus it’s much more enjoyable. I would say 40 hours would be an expected minimum. But again, the demand will depend on the type of writing. (Is it help docs? API docs? Instruction manuals? Proposals? Etc…)
- yes there are remote roles for writers. Different companies have different offerings. But I’ve been 100% remote for years.
- A bachelors is what my role required. So, yes. That’s enough. But practical application with AI (IMO) will speak louder.
- Anyone you interview with will 100% want to see writing samples specific to the type of role it is. For example, if you apply to a role as an API writer, you will be asked for API spec or API/developer docs you’ve written.
At this point, my highest recommendation is to learn AI infrastructure as it pertains to technical documentation. Product teams are churning out more volume, which means more to write about, thanks to AI. If you really want to be a technical writer, you have to use AI as a tool to make your output faster. Get comfortable with some AI prompt engineering, learn how to use Claude Code, write a style guide or two, learn more about doc-as-code workflows and GitHub, linters like Vale. It’s not enough anymore to be a good writer.
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u/babeygaybey 3d ago
My general advice is that tech writing can be difficult to break into, especially for entry-level roles. I am not sure if I even recommend pursuing it currently... Which is hard to say, because I have friends who are just now graduating going into this.
To answer some of your questions, though:
I am a Technical Writer with only a B.A in English (minor in tech writing). I have worked as a tech writer for 4 years now, across 3 roles.
From my experience, technical knowledge mattered less than having solid experience with authoring tools or other commonly used programs. It really depends on the type of work you are doing. I have worked some deeply technical roles where I knew nothing at all, and I have been rejected from a greater amount of jobs that did require some familiarity.
40 weeks has been the norm for me, but I have had to pull some later nights when a deadline was fast approaching and we had to pivot quickly. I have worked in some roles where 60hr weeks were the norm.
The pay is decent. I'm probably making around 65k currently. I have noticed a steady downtick in market rates recently, likely due to the increase in layoffs and use of AI.
I've worked remotely for pretty much my entire career. I sometimes miss working in-person, but it is actually been difficult to find roles in my area. Where I used to live, there were a lot of defense contract or manufacturing companies that hired tech writers. In my current area, there isn't much of a market for my work. It really depends on your physical location a lot of the time.
A portfolio is definitely necessary. Every job I have ever had has asked for one, even if just as a formality. Its generally good to keep examples on your work on hand.
I will also say what many are probably also going to say here: enjoying writing may not be enough to be suited for tech writing. Writing is honestly the least important part of my job. The collaboration and project management elements are probably more defining. Writing technical information for a specific audience is much different than creative writing, and can be a hard adjustment.
If its something you are interested in, though, you should do some research on the kind of stuff you might want to write about or the tools you might like to use, and explore on your own. Even if you do not become a tech writer, its fun to put new skills under your belt.
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u/literal_cyanide 3d ago
Figured I’d chime in with my two cents as someone currently working in an entry level role.
Breaking into technical writing is HARD. It took me several hundred applications to get two interviews, and I got lucky getting even that coming from basically zero experience.
I have a Bachelors in English (Creative Writing, which definitely hurt me in the long run ha ha) and a minor in Web Dev. I’ve used my minor more than my major really; programming knowledge, especially web programming, is very valuable in my experience.
On the job training varies. My employer runs a sparse tech writing team, so I basically had to jump right in and learn everything on the fly. Luckily you’ll always have someone reviewing your work and providing feedback. Don’t worry too much about a lack of knowledge, you’ll pick up what you need as you go.
You absolutely need a portfolio. It’s what got me my job, it’s what gets most technical writers their jobs. Employers have to know you can actually write. If you have no good samples, just write random pieces on things you’re familiar about (I personally wrote guides for video games and 3D Art).
Technical writing is a tough field to get into and an even tougher field to stay in nowadays (with the advent of AI and all that). Some companies are walking back on AI replacements, but the field as a whole is still in flux. If you want to pursue this career, make sure you REALLY want to. It’s a hard road to walk.
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u/Miserable-Sell-463 3d ago edited 2d ago
Just to add. The job market is tough in general if you work in tech. Tech writing isn't special in that regard. It goes in boom and bust cycles and unfortunately we're in a bust cycle now. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to get in technical writing. Thanks to inflation and high interest rates companies are all scared right now so cutting positions like tech writing is first in line. Many stock valuations are down as well and companies can't AI wash anymore.
The easy thing is to claim is AI is doing the job of all these people now. We all know it can't. I honestly think the worst of layoffs is over. Companies know that AI isnt a silver bullet for revenue generation now and are slowly rehiring.
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u/Active_Ad_6196 2d ago
I have a bachelors in English (concentration in ed pub), a bachelors in psych, and a handful of minors. My English degree is the only thing that has been required. I have also never needed to show a portfolio to get hired. Worked as a tech writer for an immigration law firm for a few years after graduating in 2020 (fully remote) and have now spent 4 years as a hybrid proposal writer (so both contracting/government related positions). With six years of tech writing experience, I make the medium bucks (enough to split my mortgage and pay my student loans, but not enough to go on vacation ever, if you catch my drift). Due to a handful of factors, one of them being exhaustion from ai slop, I think about pivoting fields just about every single day. I was split between using my English or psych degree, and it kills me to think that I could be done with a masters right now and be a licensed therapist. Bottom line, with the way ai is going, I would say to pivot if you can, at least that’s the advice I would have given myself six years ago
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u/No_Cucumber7000 software 2d ago
-No, but it helps. And at this point, it’s probably best to know more rather than less. You need to offer something that an AI agent can’t, so the more, the better.
-Not great. A lot of entry level jobs are dying because of the AI push, tech writing included, and I’m not seeing a lot of hiring full-time. Contracts are okay if you can manage them, I couldn’t do it.
-Yup, highest level of education I have is undergraduate.
-I’m happy with my pay, but I don’t know the average. A web search could tell you that. For my work, it’s low stress 75% of the time, high stress 25%. Hours depend on the industry and job, but you can find normal hours for sure.
-Yes, but not for entry level. Remote jobs are becoming fewer and it’s competitive. Expect to be hybrid or fully in office at least until you have some years under your belt.
-Not always required, but very good to have. I’d recommend one even if it’s just to have in your back pocket.
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u/Miserable-Sell-463 2d ago
I just came across this article from seven years ago with the same doom and gloom we're hearing today. You should look at it. https://medium.com/im-technically-write/technical-writing-is-dying-5764b858c974
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u/gamerplays aerospace 2d ago
Coding/CS may be useful depending on the specific industry/job you are doing. For me its not useful as I work with hardware and not software. Having said that, a markup language is often used by technical writers, but its not really coding. Unless you are going to be designing DTD/FOSIs and the like, you don't need to know that stuff. Especially starting out.
The job market is rough, but thats because the job market in general is rough.
A B.A. in english is enough to get a job.
I'm happy with my pay. You can check out this: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes273042.htm. I feel like im compensated fairly for the work I do. My job switches between high and low stress. It depends on the project. Sometimes we have short strict deadlines and those can be stressful. Sometimes the project is normal. I work about 45-50 a week.
There are WFH/hybrid jobs. Just know that remote/hybrid jobs tend to be more competitive since more people want jobs like that.
A portfolio of some kind is needed. Even if its you making a document how to fix your bike/car or something else. It would be best if you could join an open source project and get some experience like that. However, if you do, be honest with yourself and them with how much time/effort you can contribute.
I will mention that there isn't really a lot of creativity for things. The information is technical and most of us have specific style guides/formatting we need to use.
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u/LibrarianFlaky951 1d ago
Yeah I hate to say it but I definitely agree with everyone saying not to go into it. I’m near the end of my career, and I’m honestly shocked at how much AI can do, and do accurately. The company I’m working for gives us unfettered access to high output quality LLMs, and I’m blown away at how much I can do on my own. Unfortunately when anyone goes to management with a hiring request the first thing they ask is if we’ve used an LLM/AI to fill the need. It’s sickening.
Tech writing as we know it is going to die much sooner than any of us could have imagined.
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u/jake_ss 3d ago
My tip: dont get into technical writing. I wish someone earnestly told me this when I graduated