Would I like technical writing?

Before you invest time, and possibly money, into getting into a technical writing career, you should first decide if it’s the kind of job you would like. Keep in mind you probably won’t identify with everything in these lists, but if technical writing is a job you’d like, you may see some familiar patterns here. Questions to answer - The big 3 There are lots of possible questions to answer to know if you would like technical writing, but I think these might be the big 3: Continue reading

What should I study first?

If you want to get a job as a technical writer, you will have to get technical. Since I’m often asked what to study first, I’ve put together some guiding principles so you can figure out where to spend your time learning the technical subjects. I won’t tell you what to study first, but I’ll give you what you need to make that decision. As usual, I’m assuming you want to document software using a docs-as-code approach, which is where my experience lies. Continue reading

What are APIs anyway?

Introduction to APIs When people use the term APIs, they are not all talking about the same thing. This used to confuse me early on, so I’m going to give you a very quick tour of APIs. If you want more in-depth knowledge, there is a ton of information online. To start, API stands for Application Programming Interface. It’s a way that software can exchange information with other software. Since knowing how to document APIs is in very high demand for software technical writers, I’m going to also provide resources for learning more about each type. Continue reading

Getting experience – part 3

Get experience with an open source project GitHub | Linux | GNU | Sourceforge Common advice The idea that you can get a job in technical writing by volunteering to write documentation for an open source project has been around awhile. This advice often appears in blog posts, tech writing forums, and advice columns. The prevailing logic is that you can add to your portfolio by writing documentation for some of the many open source software projects available. Continue reading

Getting experience – part 2

Get any job in an IT industry, and try to work your way into a tech writing position If you’ve been applying for technical writing jobs, you may have discovered that no one will hire you without experience. In that case, you may try getting a job in a technical company, and see if you can work your way into technical writing. If you are currently employed, you may do this in your current company. Continue reading

Getting experience – part 1

The problem “How can I get experience in technical writing when all the entry-level jobs require experience?” I’ve heard this a lot. It’s perhaps the most difficult issue to overcome when trying to get into technical writing. Just today I looked up entry level positions for technical writing on Indeed. I saw only one in my area, and here’s what it said: 3-6 years? I have seen many other entry level positions like this, usually requiring 1-3 years of experience. Continue reading

The importance of humility

When trying to get a job in technical writing, or even once you have one, humility can serve you well. Sometimes humility is learned the hard way, by running into a wall, or being turned down a few dozen times. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait for that to happen to learn humility. Here are some thoughts I have about its importance in your job search. I don’t know what I don’t know Here’s the thing. Continue reading