Career Growth In Technical Writing: 12 Lucrative Options

If you are one of those people for whom technical writing may not seem to be an exciting job or you think that this career doesn’t have any growth, then this article will bust it out for you and will show you how you can make a good career growth in technical writing.

If you have taken technical writing as your career, the opportunities are endless. You just need to master any expertise that you like and then you can move to that particular field easily.

Now before telling you the best options for career growth in technical writing, let’s have a brief introduction of what technical writing is and what skills you need.

To know more about technical writing you can also read our article which is  A Guide on Technical Writing and Technical Writing Training Courses

What is technical writing?

With the change in technology, it is difficult for a person who has little or no knowledge to understand tech gadgets and services. This is also a business concern and that’s when the role of technical writers comes in.

They are mostly those people who have a better understanding of the industries and the technologies and know how to tell people about it in the easiest way possible.

You may want to know about Top 10 Technical Writing Courses in India in 2021

This type of writing includes:

• How-to manual
• Executive summaries
• Technical proposal
• White papers
• API documentation
• Memos
• Cases studies
• Balanced scorecards
• Web content

Who can become a technical writer

Anyone with a sense of creativity and an interest in technology can be a technical writer. A technical writer should be able to make the complex term in easy-to-digest form for the audience.

Skills needed to become a technical writer

• Technical writers study their target audience,
• They do the research required,
• They coordinate with different teams to produce the documentation,
• They should have writing skills,
• They should have good communication skills,
• They should also have an understanding of the industry, etc.

Read about 14 Best Technical Writing Skills Course You Can Pursue

Where can I work as a technical writer?

You can work in:

• Advertising,
• Finance,
• Engineering
• Telecommunication,
• IT
• Government, etc

So, if you are a technical writer or want to be a technical writer and looking for a different career opportunity for technical writers then here is the list of lucrative options for career growth in technical writing.

Check out IIM SKILLS Technical Writing Course

1.    Documentation Plan  

A documentation plan is designed by technical writers that schedule and plan the content of specific projects to be delivered keeping in mind the goal of the project. The plan describes the audience, content type, tone of the content mode to deliver, language of content (if needed), the status of the content, mode of delivering the content, etc.

A documentation plan is also known as an information development plan. It’s very important to understand what content type should be used and when. Also, identify how many people are involved in each step to know the status of the plan.

2. Technical communicators

Technical communicators plan and use different types of media to deliver easy-to-understand product information or technical processes that are created for the audience.

These technical communicators work closely with different analysts, Quality control, customer support, and designers of the organization. These communicators are also responsible for communicating within the organization.

Technical writing is the part of technical communication where writers work with different graphic designers or illustrators to provide differentiated instruction products for the audience in the form of frequently asked questions (FAQs), User manuals, How-to videos, etc.

Also, check out the Fundamentals of Technical Communication Skills

3. Usability Expert

UX Designers and Technical writers work together to improve user experience. The technical writers often help UX designers to write for the dialogue box, check the language error, etc. Being a technical writer, one should know how to research the product and write about it in a way that can engage the audience also.

So, if you are the person who loves to make the product more user-friendly and also have a sense of designing then a usability expert can be another option for career growth in technical writing.

4. Business Analyst

Technical writing and business analyst both are related fields. Business analysts are those who guide businesses by analyzing and designing business functions to ensure smooth functioning.

Their key roles include monitoring, forecasting, and planning. Since technical writers know how to communicate technical information in a layman language, business analyst proves to be a great option for career growth in technical writing.

Better at writing and the understanding of innovations are some of the skills that can work in your favor. Documentation skills are another skill that technical writers already possess. Moreover,

this job also requires meeting different groups of people in the organization.

5. Project Management

Being a technical writer, if you think project management will be a difficult task, then smell the coffee because but it’s not. As technical writer’s roles also involve research, assigning tasks to individuals, collaborating with different teams, project management makes a perfect option for career growth in technical writing.

Project management is managing a project by planning, analysis and applying different skills and tools to complete any specific project.

One of the major differences between project management and a technical writer is that project managers mostly work on larger projects whereas technical writers have little experience in working on larger projects. But as they have major skills in common, project management seems to be a good career growth in technical writing.

6. Technical support blog 

With the increase in web content providers, the demand for technical support blogs has also increased. Being a writer, you can leverage the advantage. You can conduct some research, join different platforms. Based on the problems people are facing, you can provide them with the answers that can help them to understand the product better.

You can plan your content and promote them on different platforms for better reach. After having experience in technical writing, a technical support blog is the other option that writers choose as the next step towards their career growth in technical writing.

7. Instructional design

Once you have mastered all the technical writing aspects and know all the tactics, you can create an instructional design. Instructional design is educational-driven. The design mostly consists of different study materials, video lectures, animations, presentations, assignments, tasks, etc.

Along with being educational-driven, instructional designing is also creative. Furthermore, knowing how to enhance the learning experience of the reader is also very important.

While choosing instructional design as the next step towards career growth in technical writing, one should keep in mind that becoming an expert in any related field is important yet tough. Thus, one should be ready to work hard like any other role. This role demands commitment and a lot of responsibility.

8. Product Design

Technical writers are an integral part of the product design so they know what goes behind a product design. Product designers are those who design products according to the needs of the customer and the company.

Since technical writers have been involved in product design also; the transition from technical writer to technical design can be done.

9. Software designing and Analyzing

Software designing is part of software development. Apart from many jobs of software designers, one of the initial works is to provide a blueprint that gives a big picture of how the software would be. Then it is forwarded to the coding and other departments to execute the plan.

While designing the software, the designer has to keep in mind the requirements of the audience and what are the problems they are facing. After that provide the best possible solution in the given requirement and resources.

Once you are a technical writer, this job might seem a little easier for you as you already know the initial step. Adding up some software designing certification can help you a lot in making software designing a career growth in technical writing.

10. Publishing specialist

The publishing specialist is responsible for many tasks such as what content to publish and where to publish. These are some of the tasks that publishing specialists take care of. They keep coordinating with distributors, publishers, printers. They are responsible for making the design into reality.

11. Freelancing

Once you have narrowed down your niche, freelancing is one of the options for career growth in technical writing that most technical writers choose.

In freelancing, you will be responsible for finding the client and completing the project on time. Here your income depends on the number of clients or the project you are taking and how much you are charging for each project. It gives you the freedom of work any time of the day. But unlike all the other fields, freelancing also needs dedication and commitment.

One has to keep himself/herself updated with the technology change. He/she should know the target audience and keep learning. The only disadvantage is that the income is not fixed but if done well then you can earn more than your regular job.

12. Program manager

As the name suggests, a program manager is the one who manages the program. Now program managers and project managers are often confusing. The program manager is responsible for the success of a whole project or initiative. They take care of all the projects inter-related to each other.

One who is good at technical writing proves to be a suitable candidate for the role of a program manager. Along with the experience of technical writing, a program manager is also an option for those looking for career growth in technical writing.

If these opportunities excite you and you want a transition in your career, here are a few tips on how you can do it easily.

How can I make a transition? 

• Make up your mind

Any career you choose or any goal you set for yourself; it is very important to first make up your mind. There will be many ups and downs in your career but once you have made up your mind and know what you have to do, nothing can stop you.

• Decide your goals

Once you know your goal, it becomes easier to break down each step to reach that goal. Breaking down each step and taking it one step ahead will ensure that you have covered everything. The planning would be much easier if you know your end goal.

• Compare your current responsibility with the one you want to transition to

If you are planning to transit your career, then knowing your current job responsibility and the one you want to transition in will give you a better picture of where, when, and why. This will also make sure that you don’t have to start it all over again and will create a strong base for your future job role.

• Listing out the skills that you already possess

To execute the third step, you can list out the skills that you already possess and then start your research. By doing so you won’t miss any of your important skills. This step should be done mindfully as this step will help you make a better decision of what to do.

• Learning few more skills that are required for transition

Once you are done with listing the skill that you already possess, the next step will be to know which option suits you the most. Now make the list of what other skills you have to learn to reach your goal.

• Pursue certification if possible

That’s it, now you have to research what are the courses available in the given resource and then pursue the certification if possible. This step will help to let others know that you have knowledge in your field and they can rely on you for new projects.

Choosing the right career for you is a very difficult task. One right step taken will ensure a lot of success and happiness in your life. Remember whatever step you take; the new opportunity must excite you and arouse your passion.

Research well and talk to people you know- that will help you to have a better understanding of what to do. Finding a mentor who can guide you in your journey is also very important, whether you are self-studying or taking any course.

So, these were the top options for career growth in technical writing that you can choose from.

Hope you found the article helpful.

All The Best!!