Work at Home as a Technical Writer
by Shadrene Howard for Work-at-Home.org
If you’re a writer looking to parlay your writing skills into a new niche, consider the field of technical writing, a career that is well-suited to working at home. Technical writing is a fast growing field and encompasses everything from writing instructions on everyday products and services, to writing computer instruction manuals, proposals, web content, documentation, and training manuals.
What Technical Writers Do
Technical writers put technical information into easily understandable language usually for non-technical audiences. Every time you purchase a product that has instructions or a manual of some sort, you are reading a document written by a technical writer, possibly from home!
If you have ever read a manual or a set of instructions and thought, I can write better than that! This may be a field for you to consider. As a technical writer you may create reference and maintenance material, training manuals and documentation, produce technical reports, and assembly instructions and catalogs.
Working at home as a technical writer is similar to working at home in any field; it’s a matter of developing your expertise in a particular area and developing effective techniques to run a business from home. Needless to say, to be successful as a technical writer you must enjoy writing and you must write well. Other important skills that you will need are the ability to take large amounts of complex information and simplify it into clear and concise terms that your reader can easily understand; you will also need to have strong research skills, the ability to learn software and processes quickly, and the ability to work under tight deadlines as this is a deadline-driven field. Due to the technical nature of this field, you must be willing to stay on top of your field as technology is constantly changing.
With the increase in technology, computer usage and desktop publishing, you may also create content for web site products and services (web content writer), online documentation, web help instructions, articles, brochures, project proposals and sales promotion material, all of which can be easily be done on a work-at-home basis.
Technical writers are also often referred to as: technical communicator, copywriter, corporate technical writer, course developer, information systems writer, documentation specialist, and information systems writer.
Technical writers can work in many different fields and work in almost every industry. They can come from a variety of backgrounds, usually involving some form of technical or specialized field. Technical writers can work in
government, advertising, communication companies, finance and banking, research firms, video production, environment, and market research.
Work at home
Working at home successfully requires that you be disciplined and organized. Remember to plan your day in advance and spend the majority of your time on income generating activities and not just “busy work”. Avoid constantly checking and responding to email; rather, set aside time to check your email twice a day and respond only to important emails. It is not necessary to respond to email immediately. The same thing goes for the telephone. Prioritize your tasks and schedule time for family and meals so that your work does not consume you. When you work at home your work can become your life.
To work successfully from home you also need to have the complete cooperation of your family and friends who must understand that you are indeed working. This will keep interruptions to a minimum; especially from those who feel that because they are have a day off from work and are at home, that you are also off from work. Talk to family and get their cooperation in helping you to be successful working at home.
You will be most productive working at home if you have a separate space set aside to do your work. Once I moved my computer and workspace out of my bedroom into a separate part of the house, my productivity sky-rocketed. I didn’t realize the impact this would have until after I made the move, but it made a huge difference.
Having a professional office setup is also very important. You will obviously need high-speed internet access, telephone and fax service. It is best to have a separate telephone line for business with a professional greeting and your own fax number. There are fax services you can use that will deliver faxes to your email box.
Feeling isolated can sometimes be one of the downsides of working at home. To combat the isolation network with friends who work in the field and with your local chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC). You can also meet with other professionals who work from home in your area for lunch clubs in your area or websites like www.MeetUp.com. As always, use your discretion when meeting with strangers and stick to public locations.
Salary Outlook and Job Prospects
The employment outlook for writers is highest for technical writers. They are also among the highest paid of all writers. The more highly specialized your skills are (medicine, law, aerospace, engineering), the more money you can command in this field. Salaries for technical writers are quite strong with an average range between $45,130 and $73,750. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $35,520, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $91,720.
Degrees and Continuing Education
With the high use of computers and technology in business and industry today, employers expect a higher level of education than in previous years. While some firms will only hire writers with an expertise in a particular field, others look for applicants with two- or four-year degrees in fields like communications, engineering, computer science, marketing, engineering or business. However, employers are increasingly looking for applicants with a Master’s degree.
Whereas computer literacy was considered merely an asset a few years ago, today it is a requirement. Some technical writers may be required to know and read program languages. Increasingly, companies require technical writers to be knowledgeable about computer graphics and desktop publishing, including multimedia production.
Technical writing requires people who are not only skilled as writers but are able to keep pace with changing technology. Today many Technical Writers produce work for online and multimedia publication which requires additional specialized software skills. Those entering the technical writing field can look forward to lifelong learning to keep up with the technological tools of the trade and new research in the communications field.
If you are a seasoned professional, there are professional certificates offered in many universities and online courses offered across the country and in Canada. The Society for Technical Communication website, www.stc.org also lists educational opportunities for technical writers.
Finding work from home opportunities
Determine your areas of interest or expertise and single-mindedly pursue those areas. It is neither possible nor practical to be an expert in everything. Jobs in this field can be found on any major job site including those that are specifically geared towards technical careers The Society for Technical Communications (STC) offers many benefits to members including a job database on its website; also look for information on local chapters of the STC in your area. Not all positions will allow you to work from home; however employers are increasingly recruiting freelancers and telecommuters that work at home.
A portfolio is an excellent tool to show to prospective employers and get your foot in the door; dust off your writing samples and spruce them up. If you don’t have one, find a poorly written manual and re-write it or volunteer to re-write the content of a poorly written website for a company.
Join professional associations such as the Society for Technical Communications at www.stc.org, and the Association for Business Communication. Attending Association meetings is also an excellent way to make contacts and network with industry experts. Freelance work can be found at websites like http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com, or you can post your service at sites like elance.com, which requires that you submit a bid for work projects. You can also search for terms such as Writers, Editorial and Publication Services, and Technical Manual Preparation both online and in the Yellow Pages for employment information.
Contact technical recruiting agencies in your area, especially those that specialize in recruiting writers. The web is also an excellent place to search for IT and technical jobs. Sites that recruit technical personnel will also list positions for technical writers.
Working at home as almost any type of writer allows extreme flexibility in work hours and location and what most people would consider very pleasant working conditions. You can write by the pool, on a beach, or at a soccer practice. If you feel you have the talent, or can acquire it, and you want to work at home as a writer, follow your dream.
Shadrene is a freelance consultant and has been a technical writer for several years. She has been working at home for over a year. You can reach her at shadrene -- at -- gmail.com.
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