Is technical writing for me?

Ask yourself some questions⎹ You are not alone⎹ Try before you buy⎹ Write a manual⎹ If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail

Ask yourself some questions

If in doubt, see if you would answer YES to any of these:

• Are you into science or technology?
• Do you like using software (e.g., CAT tools)?
• Are you somewhat computer- or internet-savvy?
• Would you care for a bit more social work environment?
• Would you like to stay on top of automation rather than lose some profit to it?
• Would you like to earn the competitive salary IT and STEM sectors are known for?

OK, I admit, we’re approaching greedy scaremongering. If money is not the case, though, is it new challenges that you are looking for? If so, what sector will better for that than technology?

You are not alone

As to whether your background makes you fit for the job – it absolutely does! In fact, few professions have so much in common with technical writing. A lot of successful people in the craft are ex-translators or come from language-related careers: writing, journalism, or teaching. “Linguists” of tech comm include many notable contributors to the field: blog and podcast authors, online educators, university instructors, and ITCQF board members, to name a few.

Try before you buy

You might have heard this advice before: take a source text, translate it, and consider whether you’d enjoy doing that for a living; if you think you could, then translating might be the job for you; if not, look elsewhere. We will employ a similar experiment here:

Write a manual

1. Choose a procedure to document, preferably one that you can perform. For example:
   • Generating a translation report in CAT software
   • Preparing perfect scrambled eggs
   • Configuring a Facebook profile
   • Fueling up a car
2. (Optional) Prepare a persona (your target audience). For example:
   • An aging adult with poor understanding of computers
   • A teenager who hates cooking
3. Write an introduction to your manual. Include a welcome message and a short description. For example:
   • “Welcome to the guide on how to…”
   • “This is a quick and simple recipe…”
4. (Optional) Write prerequisites to the procedure. For example:
   • “Create a Facebook account…”
5. Write step-by-step instructions as an ordered list. Try to include no more than one command in each step. For example:
   • 1. Stop your car by the gas pump.
   • 2. Turn off the engine.
6. (Optional) Supplement your manual with pictures.
7. (Optional) Include a troubleshooting section with solutions to possible problems. For example:
   • “I put the wrong fuel in my car, what now?”
   • “– Do not turn on the engine…”

This exercise shouldn’t take too long, and it will give you a rough idea whether you’d enjoy technical writing or not. Feel free to experiment with other types of documentation and with different topics.

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail

Should you take this path, don’t forget that you are changing careers, not dying of hunger in search of a job (hopefully!). You don’t have to put all your eggs in one basket. If you feel you need more time for training, take advantage of the flexibility translating gives you. Consider taking on fewer projects or moving to freelancing if you aren’t self-employed. Try not to burn bridges; have something to get back to in case technical writing doesn’t work out.

Take some time to plan your training. Set short- (e.g., learning Markdown) and long-term goals (e.g., finishing a degree with more-or-less specific deadlines. Setting dates will help you track your progress, and the dopamine spike you’ll get from passing a milestone will be a great motivation booster.

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Next section: Planning your training

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