Advantages of a Technical Writing Career
Technical writing. What is the first thing that comes to your mind? Many people associate technical writing with boring tasks, technical texts without creativity, manuals that nobody reads. However, all of these associations are not true. In order to proof it, I asked some technical writers what inspired them in technical writing and they shared their stories that you could read below.
Technical Writers Will Always Be in Demand
Nowadays the majority of people use different electronics and devices. As technology is developing rapidly, companies will always need smart and talented people who can write manuals, user guides, and instructions in a clear manner to explain to people what to do to achieve desired goals by using these devices.
“Bringing order to chaos in order to help others is what inspires me the most in technical writing.
We live in a complicated, complex, and at times confusing world.
Most of the problems we have in our daily life is due to bad information design.”
Technical writers deliver information in such a way that it is easily understood, retained, and remembered. So it actually helps people reach their goals and accomplish things that are significant to them.
God was probably the very first technical writer in recorded human history since 10 COMMANDMENTS delivered to Moses. That’s probably the best-known piece of technical writing there ever was. Every time you tell someone what to do or not to do in numbered steps, that’s technical writing.
“Today we tech writers are continuing the same venerable tradition of explaining the order behind the complexity of systems, gadgets, and the world itself. In numbered steps, we are explaining what to do or what not to do to reach a given goal and thus how to be happy. If that’s not helping people, I don’t know what is.” ~Ugur Akinci
Documentation Is Really Useful
Many technical writers think that nobody reads their documentation, but read Peter Brandt’s story and change your mind:
“What inspires me is knowing what I am creating is being used. My first Technical Writing job was with a manufacturing company in 1996. I went to their website a couple of years ago and my manuals are still being used. The content has been updated but my design is still being used.”
Technical Writers Learn New Things Every Day
Technical writers always deal with new technologies, and they have to think deeper and learn much information to work on a project.
Mel Berman told his story “The short answer is — you get to learn new stuff, all the time.
Before I got into technical writing, writing instruction manuals for an electronic instrument manufacturer, I was one of their electronic technicians.
My first project was a new multimeter. I wanted the manual to be the best ever, so I asked the chief engineer, my old boss, for test voltages for my troubleshooting section. He said, “ You know where its scope is, go measure what you need.” Another way of saying…You are on your own!
And that is a nutshell is what I enjoy the most. You come up with a bunch of questions and you talk to engineers, technicians and programmers about their product or service, sort of like a detective. You try to be as detailed as possible, with the customer’s point of view all the time.
Like, what if I push the D on the keyboard instead of B as it says in the instructions. What happens? Does the product still work or does it lock up? If it locks-up, how do I unlock it again. The project manager may have never tried it, but the customer will.
In my many years, I have learned all kinds of things. I have had clients who made Stable Nobel Gas Isotopes, complex machines, paint, motor graders for putting gravel on a road, machines to check leaks in engines, and even a printer that prints on steel. Strange mix and that is what really keeps you inspired.”
Technical Writers Help People
According to Andrew Ng, a computer scientist, driverless cars will be put on the market by 2021. So we can buy a driverless car very soon. And thanks to technical writers who will write manuals for these cars, I will use them in a proper way and not break down ;)
“My inspiration, or rather my satisfaction, comes from helping others. Whether I’m writing a technical report, completing a grant proposal, or writing procedural documentation, I love to know that I’m helping someone else”~TA Sullivan
Technical Writing is Full of Funny Stories
If you what more stories, read the article named Technical Writers’ Lunch Break Stories. Bradley Nice, a content manager at the Level Up blog, told ClickHelp his own stories that occurred to him and his coworkers when he was working as a technical writer in other companies.
Share your own stories about technical writing experience in comments!