The Importance of Technical Writers in a Software Company
Technical writing is not everyone's forte. It is a niche section that requires a very distinctive skill set which is a combination of good language skills and comprehensive technical acumen. An inclination towards writing and interest in the latest technologies in I.T. based environment are perfect ingredients that when churned out in a planned manner can bring out a good tech writer.
In case you want to pursue a career which is somewhat different and at the same times keep you in the dynamic environment of software development then you can certainly go for the opportunities that various IT based organizations offer for the technical folks.
There are a set of varied jobs which a technical writer may be required to perform. This may include preparation of installation documents, release notes for the clients, requirement analysis document, the request for proposal document and other guides etc. Every small implementation these days in a software company is well documented and recorded, thus making the job of a tech writer more complex and important.
A tech writer has to closely work with the technical development team and also the business analyst group to deeply understand the processes and procedures.
The better the understanding, better are the chances of good documentation. If you think if you possess all the necessary skills for being a Technical writer than you should definitely go in for this profile.
So in the end I would conclude by saying that Technical writer in an I.T. domain is as important as a Developer, a Quality Analyst, Customer Support or Installer for that matter.
Opportunities for Technical Writers
There are ample of opportunities for technical writers in the industry these days as more and more organizations are giving due importance to the fact that they must provide support to the customers. It is very important to make the users comfortable with the product. And here the role of a technical communicator or write comes into play.
He acts as a bridge between the technology guy and the lay users by simply translating the complex technical methodologies and jargons into instructions that are understandable by the user.
With due course of time the value of technical communicators or documentation experts have been realized by the companies and so they have created special positions for which they recruit qualified and skilled professionals in this field.
Though the number of positions is still not very large and depends on the work and size of the team. The documentation professionals are highly paid these days however the growth pattern may be a bit slow at certain places.
A technical writer needs to exhibit excellence through consistent performance and flawless work as the job seems laterally easy from an outsider’s perspective as compared to the development.
A technical writer may be recruited for purpose of Support Documentation, client communication and even for drafting proposals. The varied jobs and different roles: everything points to one simple skill writing in a precise and clear manner.
The Prerequisites for Being a Technical Writer
In case you want to be a technical writer then you should have necessary skills for successfully performing in the dynamic industry.
Some people presume that this line is simply about writing instructions; however this is not the case. Lets discuss some of the things you should posses for being a tech writer.
- Excellent Grammar and language skills
- Technical Knowledge and understanding of terms
The Challenges of Being a Technical Writer
Being a Technical Writer always gives you an opportunity to explore new dimensions and come up with some great ideas. This field is indeed great for people who have technical knowledge but also want to use their language skills.
Technical writing is still in a stage of evolution where there are things yet to be more properly established but with more and more learned people venturing in this line the future is indeed bright.
Technical writing like any other technical or managerial line has its own rules and processes. It largely depends on understanding and how well a person can articulate the ideas into words. In case you have the ability to clearly express your understanding in words precisely then certainly you have the spark to be a technical writer.
A lot of organizations offer very good and challenging positions to Technical Writers as these companies understand the value of effective communication.
Writing Profiles in an I.T. Company
Being a Technical writer by profession, I can say that writing in an I.T. company is an upcoming domain wherein you can get the same opportunity which a Developer, a Quality Analyst or probably a Testing resource gets.
More and more people are and should venture in this domain because it is still unexplored as compared to other commonly looked after profiles.
Any person with a technical bent of mind can take up as a writer in an I.T. based company. As such, the required qualifications of an aspiring candidate various from company to company but you can browse through various job portals or career counseling web sites and get a peek into the desired job set.
Some of the writing based profiles available in an I.T. company are:
- Project Managers
- Content Managers
- Technical Writers
- Business Communication writers
- eLearning Professionals
- Editors and Reviewers
- Graphic Designers