Introduction to Technical Writing

Technical writing is a growing field. In a recent survey conducted by Money Magazine and Salary.com technical writing was ranked as 13th best job in the US. It is also growing in India with more and more people joining the fraternity.

Technical writing is writing technical concepts in an easy to understand format. Today we cannot imagine a life without cell phones, personal computers, and other hi-tech devices. Thus, knowing about these devices, their installation, and troubleshooting methods have become more important. Growing professionalism, cut-throat competition, and lack of time has made the field of technical communication and documentation more interesting and challenging.

Technical writers are required to handle various aspects of documentation ranging from creating hard copy or online documents to other written instructional information. Does technical writing limit your imagination and creativity? No doubt technical writing is more factual. But there is always a scope for making your writing interesting and user friendly. Technical writing and instructional designing aims at making the write-up creative, navigational, and easy to understand.

Life of a technical writer revolves around grasping technologies and continuous learning. Generally, people with engineering background are preferred as they are quick in understanding technologies. You need not worry if you have graduated in English literature or journalism and still wish to enter this field. If you have an inquisitive mind and the ability to learn you will do well. Technical writing offers a challenging career where sky is the limit.