Jimmy Said:

Looking for a tech writing career -- how much preparation?

We Answered:

First, What is your location? That might limit you to where you can find employment as a tech writer.

I live in Southern California and there seems to be a lot of technical writing opportunities here. I actually got offered a tech writing position without any experience at all at a company called Continental Data Graphics, a subsidiary of Boeing. However I have a background in physics and engineering.

With your background in the software industry, I do not believe it will be that difficult to get an entry level position in technical writing. Different companies require different qualifications before they hire you.

Some companies will require you to obtain a technical writing certificate ( Certificate in Technical Writing). You can earn this by taking a course at some college or university.

Other companies will require you to provide a writing sample. if you have had professional publications in peer reviewed journals, then it will help.

Companies might just be looking for someone with some technical background like what you have.

Finally, companies may require a combination of two or three of the above. I found that in my job search that this was true of any technical writer position.

I suggest you go to job fairs such as those listed in the links provided below to look for technical writing positions. They can tell you up front what requirements are needed.

If you know companies in your area that you are interested in working for, look up their webpages for careers or jobs and see if they have tech writer positions open and apply for them. If they don't just ask to talk to HR and ask about how to go about getting a job in Technical writing for that company.

I have also found part-time tech writing jobs from classified ads and so forth. If you can't find a full time job at first, you might want to consider contract or part time tech writing to build up your experience and to see if you like it.

As long as your English is good, you have excellent grammar and spelling, and have the ability to convey technical concepts into layman terms, you should be fine.

Good Luck

Jackie Said:

What is the scope for Quality executive jobs in the market now as well as for the future?

We Answered:

It's not always crystal clear how to start hunting for a job, I was in a bit of a rut in recent times when I was job seeking, until I discovered the website in the box below that presents sensible instruction. I soon got myself going down the correct track, and in a few weeks after a few interviews I landed a really good job.

Patrick Said:

what is Communication with a concentration in TECH WRITING?

We Answered:

Technical writers usually write things such as instruction manuals, owner's manuals, reference books, training manuals, workbooks, etc. (as opposed to fiction, journalism, biographies, etc.) The classes for technical writing teach you how to break down a procedure into steps and how to describe those steps in language that will be appropriate for your audience.

Kristina Said:

Tech writing jobs in Australia/New Zealand?

We Answered:

Hm, you'll need to go through some job ad websites down here... surprisingly, you'll find a lot of AUS/ NZ stuff advertised in the UK, especially on www.jobs.ac.uk (that's how I found mine), and www.fish4jobs.co.uk , but there are lots of little job banks with the newspapers. Try the Auckland Gazette online, or Otago Daily Times, plus all the other newspaper listings on the web (Googling Newspapers Australia New Zealand should do the trick and give access). I'm pretty sure there are positions like that. Good luck!

Cheryl Said:

I am an MBA (Systems) - India. I am looking for 'work from home' documentation & Tech. writing jobs. Leme knw.

We Answered:

mba systems india ????

Oscar Said:

How often do you write in a Tech Support Job at a school and what kind of writing do you do?

We Answered:

Tech support jobs, especially entry level ones, rarely involve writing of any kind. Most (I'm not saying ALL) of the people who work at the places are near-minimum-wage earners who do nothing more than follow a script. If their script won't solve the problem that the customer is experiencing, it generally gets upped a level to a supervisor who has undergone some slightly more advanced training. If they can't solve it, then it usually goes to a tech guru who usually actually has a degree of some sort either from a trade school (like ITT Tech) or has some form of a college-level degree.