Technical Writing: Need of the Hour?
Discover how technical content writing is one of the fastest-growing and demanding skills in 2021…
When you hear someone saying, “I am a Technical Writer’’ or “My duties include Technical Content Writing” your obvious reactions will be pulling yourself back as if it is unusual. Many believe that technical writing is not as creative as a writer thinks of because the perception is that creativity and technology cannot be seen together.
It is true in some sense that technical writing is somewhat based on analytical skills and critical thinking, and one would not prefer to read such pieces firsthand but there’s a whole new concept of technical writing which is evolving and trending at a very fast rate and it is in high demand.
So the question is why Technical Writing is becoming a hot topic in the midst of technology? According to the U.S. Department of Labour Statistics, employment for technical content writing will see a growth of 11% with respect to the overall average of other occupations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Well, technical writing is the fastest growing job in the market. With the rise of e-learning platforms and web applications in these subsequent years, the need and demand for technical writers has increased at a faster rate which no one believed would happen.
The second reason for the increase in technical writing is the increase in technical products such as- new technologies, software, and services based on the web — are being developed at a rapid pace.
With new technologies and products, comes the need for communication experts to convey in-depth information as well as for the designers who can get more people interested.
What is technical writing?
Technical writing is related to a process of knowledge transfer and it is technology-specific. If you go by the definition on Wikipedia:
“A technical writer is a professional whose task is to provide the knowledge transfer between two or more entities through the best possible way and medium.”
What exactly does a technical writer do?
Technical writing can be more of a user-oriented approach. It implies simplifying the complex, technical aspects and features of a product or service. In other words, technical writers explain advanced technologies and the allied concepts accurately, so that the users can understand it clearly.
The proficient technical writers can create, edit, refine and improve content in a highly effective manner. A technical writer gathers information from sources that can range from technical to the sales department of the organisation.
Apart from this, analysing the audience and the purpose of creating a document is very important in technical writing. This includes thorough research, proofreading and content curation.
Some of the mediums where technical content writing is used:
- Topic oriented reference documents
- User manuals
- White papers
- Design specifications
- Project plans
- Software testing manuals
- Online training materials
The need for technical content writers:
According to Forbes, “E-learning is the future — hands down no doubt about it”. Global E-Learning market is estimated to reach $325 billion by 2025 (Research and Markets).
With the rise of e-learning platforms and web applications, the need for technical writing and easy flow of information is in high demand.
To add a point further, while e-learning is shaping up the industry, the knowledge shared by the platforms has to be in a constructive way so as to convey the information and share knowledge to a beginner as well as to an expert.
Also, with the growing advancements in technology and products going for full automation, the need for skilled labour has increased exponentially. With this rise of skilled labour, the importance of conveying new technology and training the individuals for specific skills has become imperative.
Hence, the point that the need for technical writing experts is at an all time high.
Conclusion:
Luckily, technical writing is not solely dependent on how creatively a writer drafts the information. But at the same time, one cannot negate the importance of creativity in technical writing. Primarily, it depends on how a writer makes technical information easier for the audience to understand.
With statistics showing a clear upward demand for technical writers, it is the right time to think of this as a mainstream occupation.
Identify the demand and grow your skills to shape up your career in technical writing. Technical writing is a promising career where you can help to connect the businesses to the people and help them understand the products and services which can improve the business performance.
. . .
