Best Background for Tech Comm Career
One of the most frequently asked questions about a career in technical writing is — what should I major in to land a job? A lot of young people are willing to pursue this kind of career, and they are getting mixed signals about what their major should be.
This confusion stems from the fact that requirements differ a lot from company to company. Let’s try to understand what are the best backgrounds for technical writers in today’s world.
The Best Background for a Technical Writer
Technical writing is based around language and how capable you are in working with it. So, these are some of the most common backgrounds for a successful tech comm career:
- English
- Journalism
- Communications
- Literature
A lot of people are going to argue with that, I am sure. Tech comm is really diverse in terms of backgrounds, but I know one thing for sure — it is about mastering your language skills. You won’t be able to communicate complex things to readers without being excellent at using your main tool — words.
If you have a chance to take additional classes or self-educate through online learning to gain technical knowledge, it is a great way to succeed in tech comm.
The technical stuff is the other side of the coin, and this is what may scare you away initially from becoming a tech writer if you only studied language. But, remember that, you don’t have to be a software developer to be a tech writer in IT.
Bigger companies are more inclined to add knowledge of technical things to their list of requirements, so you either get this extra knowledge or just start small. Becoming a research assistant in a smaller company can help you grow and gain the necessary experience.
Major Fields That Have Open Positions for Tech Writers
These professional fields have a lot of work to offer to aspiring technical writers. See if you would like to get a job in one of these industries, and, this will help you understand what additional skills you need.
- IT
- Engineering and Manufacturing
- Government
- Insurance
- Health Care
- Aerospace
- Agriculture
- GHG Sector
- Alternative Energy
As I mentioned earlier, you can get a job in any of the fields, however, some will require more technical knowledge than others.
For example, medical writers, as a rule, have a certain level of medical knowledge. This is a rather specific field and an important one, as well — people’s lives and well being depend on you. It is only natural, that if you are just a journalist, it will take a considerable amount of time for you to get into medical things.
Another point to consider is the complexity of texts you will be working with doing research and writing. Let’s take aerospace, for example, or any kind of engineering. A person will be completely lost without having at least some technical background or experience of working with technical texts with similar themes. It is not like companies do not want to hire you because you aren’t a rocket scientist, it is just common sense.
My main advice for everyone hoping to become a technical writer — try thinking ahead. That'll make things easier. Pick one industry (or, maybe a specific company) and let this be your reference point. When you know exactly what’s required, you can draw up a plan of action and follow through with it.
