How to Make a Living as a Technical Writer

Technical Writer is one of the highest-paying job roles in professional content writing and, as such, it can be quite competitive. While finding entry-level work is challenging, it’s more than worth the effort, especially if you’re the type who loves to learn new things.

If you’re looking to jump headfirst into technical writing, then this is the place to be. In this guide, we’ll be covering the skills you need to have, what the job entails, and how to find an entry-level role.

What Is a Technical Writer’s Job?

Technical writing is a more skilled discipline than many assume. While the job is largely focused on written communication, a technical writer’s skillset is about much more than knowing where to place a comma or how to structure a paragraph.

Technical writers are, in practice, translators, communicating between highly knowledgeable subject matter experts and laypeople. For example, when a new car, a new computer chip, or even a new washing machine is being designed and sold to the public, someone needs to explain what it does and why in simple English.

Of course, it is still a writing job first and foremost. A technical writer’s role isn’t about knowing the subject inside and out. It’s about having a good grounding while still being in touch with the average person’s level of knowledge.

Speak to a real expert in just about any subject, and you’ll often find that they aren’t very good at explaining what they know – not to a beginner anyway. Experts often assume knowledge that isn’t as common as they realise while overexplaining details that are actually quite obvious to most people.

Put simply, most people are actually very poor judges of what they do and don’t know, as demonstrated by the famous Dunning-Kruger effect. A technical writer’s job is to overcome this problem.

Most of what a technical writer does is research. They learn about the subject matter, and they learn about the layperson’s knowledge of it. They gather information and take feedback in order to target their writing at the correct audience.

If a product or process is complex enough that someone could fail a task, get injured, or break something without instructions, then it’s a technical writer’s responsibility to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Developing Your Skillset as a Technical Writer

If you want to get into technical writing, then you have to start from an existing base of knowledge. Whether it’s hardware engineering, software APIs, or consumer electronics, you need to be going in with at least one subject where you could comfortably talk to an expert and not feel out of your depth. Preferably, you should even have qualifications or professional experience in the subject.

Although writing craft isn’t the core of the skill, it goes without saying that written communication is vital. If you struggle to get your points across on paper, then this is something you’ll need to practise and learn. Be harsh with yourself, take feedback, and remember that good writing is about tailoring your choice of language to the audience. You might call water H2O in a science paper, but you probably wouldn’t if you were talking to a toddler.

When starting out on your career path, spend a couple of years targeting work in your expert subject. Don’t try to push the boundaries too much yet because you need to build up a solid portfolio/CV showing that you’re able to do the job. After 1-2 years, if you want to go broader in your scope, start applying to roles a little further outside your wheelhouse.

In time, many technical writers learn to jump into just about any subject. Fast learning and research are fundamental to the job after all. That said, while you’re still getting your feet under you, it’s very important to keep to your comfort zone and prove that you can do the job.

Where to Find The Best Jobs

At first, you may want – or even need – to take some freelance gigs. If you can’t find paying gigs, then one good place to start is by contributing to open source projects. It’s always useful to have someone who can help rewrite documentation and provide clear guides. Once you’ve got a bit of a portfolio, you can start searching for paid work.

Depending on how your career goes, you may even stay freelance, as many prefer the freedom it gives them over their working hours and clients. Then again, if you’re looking for high earnings and job stability, you’ll eventually want to transition into full-time employment.

When looking for work, remember that technical writing is an umbrella term. Many jobs are labelled as “Compliance writer” or “Information Developer”. You’ll have to read between the lines to see where your skills will best fit.

In terms of salary progression, you can expect a steady incline from around £27K for junior roles to around £50K for experts. Earnings can go higher in some cases, but this is generally due to highly niche specialisation. The market for technical writing is always changing, so it’s important to keep an eye on where your skills will be best placed to earn a high income.