Want to be a Writer BUT Not Poor?
Consider Technical Writing
I’ve been a writer since the second I was gifted my first vibrantly pink, leopard-print Lisa Frank diary — complete with a lock & key. I chronicled the fascinating day-to-day of a pre-teen in the 90’s, and that’s when I knew that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up.
For me, that meant being a journalist, I guess. In college, I enrolled in multimedia journalism but was disappointed to realize the program still heavily focused on broadcast: how to speak, how to smile, how to dress. Not a whole lot of writing, or the kind of writing I wanted to do anyway…
I was lucky to have an older cousin who had a successful career as a reporter for a major news outlet. I leaned on her for career advice and the life she outlined for me was not one I wanted. Essentially, I’d work insane hours at insane times of day, all for little to no pay.
I was already a struggling full-time student balancing multiple low-income jobs just to pay rent. Why in the world would I continue an education path down a road to more of the same?
Yet I knew I still wanted to be a writer, but I wanted financial stability and a good life. Was it possible?
That’s when I discovered technical writing.
