Trends in Technical Writer Contracting: It's a Cycle

Going the Contractor Route Can Be Good or Bad

Whether one seeks to ply the writing trade by doling out multi-volume maintenance manuals for military aircraft, or by authoring a warning message later appearing on a label wrapped around a TV power cord - it's a technical writer who crafts these words.

While it's admirable that you wish to investigate technical writing as a new career, it's a good idea to know what you're getting into. If you are seriously considering technical writing as a career, my hope here is not to cover every conceivable factor. Rather I wish to give you a few things to mull before venturing onto the broad floor space that technical writing covers.

A Career in Technical Writing / Technical Communication

Fortunately, a career as a technical writer (sometimes also called "technical communicator") may offer great opportunities in literally any industry.

Need proof? In my 10+ year career as a technical writer, I have worked for the following kinds of companies:

* Startup software training outfit
* Online / traditional brick-and-mortar school
* Computer hardware manufacturer
* Shipping and logistics
* Healthcare provider
* Genetics and tissue sampling firm
* Software firms
* Medical device manufacturer
* Industrial centrifuge manufacturer
* Fuels and Lubricants

My work history above proves that businesses of all kinds need tech writers. Please note from the above that these include "hard" industries (like manufacturing) as well as "soft" industries (like IT). During my career as a tech writer, my actual job titles ranged anywhere from "Technical Writer" to "Corporate Communications Officer".

Whatever the industry, the need for good tech writing abounds.

Now getting someone to hire you is the core of our discussion here...

Trends In Tech Writer Outsourcing: It's a Cycle

As with any job, to become a contract or outsourced technical communication consultant can be good or bad - depending on the business climate and your employer's ability to cope.