A Career in Technical Writing: Life as a wannabee
July 3, 2008 by J.C. Hewitt
The Bullet Points
- Most people don’t start out with the goal of becoming a technical writer
- Technical writing is one of the best paying writing fields
- Computer experience is always good for a technical writer’s resume
- FrameMaker and Robohelp are two key technical writing tools
- Location matters, living near the jobs helps
- Persistence will pay off
- The Internet was a great job search resource even in 1995
Why a Technical Writer?
Becoming a technical writer was not my first career choice. For years I wavered between journalism and politics. I had entertained dreams of becoming a novelist. I had even thought about becoming a database programmer. At the tender age of 25 though, I found myself out of work and stuck with a credit card bill that was entering five figures as I tried to keep afloat. At some point I had picked up Bob Bly’s Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $85,000 a Year or More (The new title has upgraded that figure to $100,000). He was mainly discussing copywriting, but one of the other options he listed in the book was technical writing. He said a good technical writer could make $50,000 a year or more. It wasn’t the big figure that Bly quoted for copywriting, but it seemed like plenty of money to me.
I couldn’t picture myself as a big time advertising writer, but technical writer was something that I figured I could do. I had plenty of computer experience. Half of my personal debt was related to computer equipment. I had been on the Internet since before there was a World Wide Web. I had a degree in creative writing and I had been an editor and writer for a few minor publications. Technical writer seemed obtainable.
Enough Skills to Fake it
Once I decided that technical writing was an idea that could work, I began trying to position myself for success. These were the early days of the web, but there were still a lot of job resources to be found. There was a technical writing newsgroup that people advertised on. There was a search engine for newspaper ads and there was a site that listed every employment agency in Silicon Valley (I lived in Arizona). I looked for common themes in the job descriptions. What I found was the most common tools were FrameMaker and RoboHelp. I figured that if I knew these two packages, I would have a reasonable shot at finding a job. Unfortunately, they were both prohibitively expensive, especially for a guy with no income.
I was able to download a trial version of RoboHelp from the Blue Sky web site (Adobe has since taken over the product). FrameMaker was a bit tougher to get though. In the end, I bought a used copy of FrameMaker for $90. I sat down with the two programs and I explored the interfaces. I created a few simple documents. I didn’t slave over them or become an expert in the applications (though that would have been a good idea). All I wanted was enough experience with them to put them on my resume with some confidence.
A Bright and Shiny Resume
There was a lot of fudge in my first technical writing resume. I don’t have a copy of it anymore, but I know I built up my previous experience (editor of my student newspaper, student assistant at the university software library, assistant to a lobbyist, paste-up artist, assistant newspaper editor, occasional computer consultant, guy with a web site) into a resume that made me look like I had solid and relevant experience as a technical writer without ever quite lying. The key though was my tool skills. Besides my new RoboHelp and FrameMaker “experience”, I could confidently say that I knew HTML, FileMaker Pro, Microsoft Office, PageMaker and a number of draw and paint programs. I could also say (with some exaggeration) that I could program in Basic and Fortran.
I started sending the resume out and sending it out and sending it out and sending it out. For the most part, I received no response at all. Occasionally, I got a nibble, but the nibbles never seemed to go anywhere. Meanwhile, I was taking day jobs through office temp agencies and such. All of the agencies said they loved my resume and promised to look for technical writing or computer jobs, but for the most part I ended up stuffing envelopes or conducting phone surveys.
Location, Location, Location
One of the biggest problems I faced as a wannabee technical writer was my location. I was living in Tucson, Arizona. This was not exactly the technical writing capital of the world. I was perfectly willing to move, and I sent my resumes out as far as California, Nevada, Utah and Texas. Unfortunately, as willing as I was to move, most out-of-state companies weren’t that interested in a candidate from Tucson, Arizona. Phoenix, a hundred miles to the north, was about as far as I could reasonably expect serious consideration. Still, I kept plugging away. After about a year of futility, the phone finally rang. The next day, it rang again…
Further Reading
- Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More by Bob Bly: Though a bit heavy on the sales pitch, this is an excellent introduction to the business side of writing.
- Tech writers: it’s your job to sell your product, and that product is you by CabSav: A realistic day in the life of a technical writer.
- Adventures with the New Technical Communication Suite from Adobe (mostly RoboHelp 7 and Captivate) by Tom Johnson: An article that discusses the newest version of RoboHelp and FrameMaker.
- From Acrobat to FrameMaker by John Hewitt: A discussion of FrameMaker from my last series on technical writing, Document Hack.
Questions
- How did you land your first “serious” job, writing or otherwise?
- What influence has location had on your job prospects?
- What sparked your interest in the field of writing?
Related links
- A Career in Technical Writing: The beginning of a new series (0.500)
- A Career in Technical Writing: Two dates to the prom (0.500)
- A Career in Technical Writing: The fax about outsourcing (0.500)
- A Career in Technical Writing: A strange new world (0.500)
- A Career in Technical Writing: Life as a newbie (0.500)
John, you’re so right. As much as I would have it NOT be so, location, location, location is as much a factor in job-searching as it is in real estate.
I also applied for several, mostly “dream,” jobs out of state and while I came very close with at least a couple (one employer even paid to fly me out), I also have a couple horror stories, too. Namely, a flight being delayed to the point that I’d lost the job (matter completely out of my hands) and no manner of coaxing would get the employer to rethink interviewing me (I ate the costs, then about $200-$300, of the flight and phone calls made from a payphone, pre-cell phone era). Another, again out-of-state (many states away, too), wanted me to pay to fly out (which I was more than willing to do) and promised to pick me up at the airport. The day before I was to arrive, they reneged and said they wouldn’t pick me up and “just take the subway,” though the airport was within about 20 minutes of their office, as I recall. (And, it wasn’t that simple; if memory serves, I would have had to take the subway and then walk, I don’t remember how far, maybe a mile or two, to get to their actual office, in full winter regalia with briefcase, etc..) The way that it played out, I thought it was poor form on their part and I didn’t want to work for what I perceived as a wishy-washy supervisor (I had other reasons for thinking this, too). Maybe it was their way of testing my dedication to the cause (or desperation), and they found me wanting. At any rate, I didn’t go to work for this nonprofit–and I’m extremely glad I didn’t.
I would be interested to see a Bly-like commentary on the work-at-home/freelance mom or dad pulling in $80-$100K while not neglecting the child(ren), without familial or governmental support, without babysitters (other than oneself and spouse/partner). And in the current economy, with $4-or-more gasoline prices, increased food costs, etc.
As far as the resume, I always look at mine like the old song “Accentuate the Positive; Eliminate the Negative.” Though I have a lot of experience, depending on the job, I still try to make mine only 1-page long, playing up the relevant stuff, downplaying or eliminating any lapses in employment (that question might come up in verbal interview anyway, at which time I can better explain).
I read something within the last couple months, in conjunction with Father’s Day maybe, that said men have a more difficult time “disguising” supposed down time if they take time off to raise a child (or children), but, as with women’s resumes, men can “pad” them with volunteer experience or other part-time or freelance (even if not full time) work. In the writer’s/desktop publisher’s case, she can point to the fact that she wrote, photographed for, and laid out the monthly newsletter for her car club or he can detail how he wrote articles for the church bulletin or a writerly Web site like WRC. If you think about it, you will probably discover all kinds of positive not-necessarily work experiences that are relateable.
I could long-windedly go on about how I “came” to writing, or it came to me!, but I don’t want to bore you! Your forum here! ; ) But I am fascinated to read about others’ experiences–eureka!, epiphanies, or not–in coming into the writer’s fold.
Looking forward to the next article…BTW, do you plan ahead enough in advance so that when you post one day’s articles, you can give us a sneak preview of the probable next day’s topic? (I’m impatient, I guess!)
Leighs last blog post..The Music of Words and Other Matters
Leigh,
Thank you for sharing your story. I have had similar misadventures, including driving from Tucson to Novato, California for a job interview that went nowhere. Because much of my work has been as a contractor, I have had more than one downtime to explain. I find that the farther you get from the gap, the less important it is to recruiters.
As for a sneak preview, I think I can start adding that. The next post is about the interview process, and is called “Two Dates to the Prom”
John,
Thanks for sharing the story of your journey into technical writing! It’s fascinating so far! Sometimes, all it takes is enough confidence in our own inherent ability to learn as we go (in order to fill in the gaps in our basic skill set) to enable us to find the nerve to put a particular “qualification” on our resume. But, we usually know the limits of our own capabilities; and though we may not always feel totally comfortable with our claim to a specific area of “expertise,” provided we have a fundamental understanding of the program or process we claim to know, we can generally sense whether we’ll do OK with it once hired, knowing that our skills will improve further with on-the-job experience.
Sounds like you had/have a wide range of applicable skills to bring to the technical writing arena, though–skills which, while they may have been less extensive than your resume implied at the time, undoubtedly have been honed over the years.
Looking forward to the rest of the series!
Jeanne
John,
Funny what a 5-figure credit card bill will force you to do. Been there, done that. And, how could you leave us hanging like that. The phone rang . . . and then what! I”m on pins and needles wanting to know.
Happy Independence Day!
Yuwanda Blacks last blog post..Get Your Blog Exposed to 40,000 Eyeballs!
John,
You have a great story here. I’m a bit relieved that technical writing wasn’t your first choice for a career, if only because none of my jobs have been my first choice for a career
My first real job was as a word processing operator — remember those days when you actually had specialists for word processing, the days before PCs? Oddly, I’ve always enjoyed typing (even earn a bit of play money by typing papers in college), and I probably would be content if I had a job where I just typed all day.
Working as a word processing operator was a kind of a fluke. Again, this was back in the day when I had to take a three-week course to learn word processing. It only happened because I had suffered a work-related injury and needed to be “retrained” in order to rejoin the work force (long story). I could have gone into programming, but that course would have taken six months or more. For a lot of reasons, especially psychological, I needed to get back into the work force fast.
From word processing to technical editing to a master’s in social work to the doctoral program and a research assistantship which opened the door to various jobs as a survey coordinator in public health (which is what I’ll be doing starting Monday).
Location is everything. I grew up in rural upstate New York where getting a manager’s position at McDonald’s was considered to be a good job. I move to San Francisco where I was broke and on food stamps until my injury. I was making some money as an WP operator but after getting married and realizing that we could never afford more than the little apartment we lived, we left CA …
for Florida of all places (another long story)! But at least it was here that I stumbled into these relatively decent government positions.
I admit I’m addicted to having health insurance and benefits. Working independently would probably freak me out too much (and it would freak out my husband, too). After having spent time being on food stamps … I just can’t ever do that again.
But I keep writing. Aside from a dry spell here and there, I’m still writing. I’ve been writing since I was nine. I don’t remember why I started writing, just that I liked stories and wanted to tell some of my own.
Sorry for the long, long comment. Looking forward to your next installment.
Cheers,
Marie
Marie Ann Baileys last blog post..Setting Deadlines for Writing
John, I am enjoying the story. Any chance you might collect these posts into a book?
How did I land my first serious job? I wanted to impress my grandfather. I wanted to defy expectations. I wanted to find a way to pay for college. So….I enlisted in the Army. Gained self-discipline, broke my back learning to rappel from helicopters, got paid to learn Russian on the coast of California.
Never really thought of location as a factor. Opportunities are where you make them/find them.
I started writing poetry in grade school and graduated to collaborating with my cousin on a homemade newspaper for the family. However, I can’t say what sparked my interest or why I felt compelled to write.
I fell into technical writing. I’d had enough as an aircraft engineer and working for a large company afforded me opportunities elsewhere. Publications Engineer sounded OK, so I went for it – 15 years ago. I now manage a department of about 30 writers and illustrators.
@ Jeanne
You are right. I had done quite a bit of technical work in the past, but I hadn’t been a technical writer. It was my assessment of my skills that convinced me I could do the job. All I had to do was convince others of the same thing.
@ Yuwanda
A good cliffhanger makes for a good story. You haven’t heard the last of my debt either.
@ Morgan
I had a friend who was a Russian translator for the army. That was back in the eighties though. He writes too, or at least he used to. I don’t think we’ve talked in about fifteen years. His wife didn’t like me, so that was end of that friendship. As for turning the posts into a book, it is certainly a thought on my mind.
@ cmdweb
Are you still with the same company or did you move elsewhere as you moved upwards?
@ Marie
It is interesting how careers that seem viable in the beginning become less and less viable as you move on. I definitely hit some rough patches in the technical writing arena. I’ll get to those as I move forward.
John,
Glad you did! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been graced with this excellent and informative series!
Jeanne
John, this is really well-written and engaging. I enjoyed this post and look forward to seeing the rest in the series.
Tom Johnsons last blog post..Approaching Help as Solutions to Problems — An Interesting Format from the CSS Cookbook
A Career in Technical Writing: Life as a wannabee : PoeWar.com Writer’s Resource Center…
John Hewitt gives us the first of a series of personal essays on becoming a technical writer. Well written and engaging….
@ Tom,
I’m glad you enjoyed it. There is so much story to tell. Lets hope I can keep it as interesting throughout.
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