Do you usually need a degree/certificate to get a technical writing job?

jasperd said:

I was a contracts administrator for about 6 months and gained a wealth of knowledge and experience but I have no degree. I wrote contracts and RFQ's. Is this considered technical writing? If so, is six months enough experience along with a lot of admin experience?

Click to expand...

If you wrote contracts and successful RFQs, that's a start.

Many companies want a BS, just because it's policy. I have one in microbiology, which has little or nothing to do with writing, but it keeps them happy.

Go ahead and apply for the jobs, emphasize the hands-on and the admin experience AND figure out how to get a BS in something.

jasperd said:

I was a contracts administrator for about 6 six months and gained a wealth of knowledge and experience but I have no degree. I wrote contracts and RFQ's. Is this considered technical writing? If so, is six months enough experience along with a lot of admin experience?

Click to expand...

I'm sorry to be blunt, but exposure does not come close to having a qualification. Can an assistant at a bakery become the head baker after kneading dough for six months? Maybe, but the customers would probably notice the difference in quality and the assistant would probably feel a bit lost and stressed.

I have a degree in English and a degree in Computer Science. Both degrees have enabled me to write well and to write confidently about the technical subject matters a tech author often has to deal with. I know not to write small numbers as figures and I know how to use apostrophes. If you seriously want to be a technical author, get the right qualifications first so these things don't hold you back. Simple as.

April Hollands said:

I'm sorry to be blunt, but exposure does not come close to having a qualification. Can an assistant at a bakery become the head baker after kneading dough for six months? Maybe, but the customers would probably notice the difference in quality and the assistant would probably feel a bit lost and stressed.

I have a degree in English and a degree in Computer Science. Both degrees have enabled me to write well and to write confidently about the technical subject matters a tech author often has to deal with. I know not to write small numbers as figures and I know how to use apostrophes. If you seriously want to be a technical author, get the right qualifications first so these things don't hold you back. Simple as.

Click to expand...

This is a common attitude among those "qualified". I've met people with no degree that can run circles around those degreed in their field. I've also seen certifications weigh heavier than degrees. If someone can do the job, their formal training means nothing, often.

That's quite a generalisation (something tech authors are educated to avoid). Are you talking about tech authoring in particular? In my experience, one guy refused to learn HTML because 'I don't like technology'. Another one called all computers and their components 'he'/'him'. And my junior technical author was an aspiring magazine editor. It showed in his work and he told me he was too scared to ask the programmers how things worked because they would think he was dumb. The tech author I replaced at the last job was an aspiring novelist. Well done to him; his book is now published, but his technical authoring skills were dreadful and I was left with a big mess to clean up. Just two tech authors I've worked with have had the relevant qualifications (not necessarily degrees) and they're the only two whose work I respect for the quality they produced on my projects. There is actually more to tech authoring than being able to spell and put sentences together.

The original poster does not have good enough technical authoring skills if he can't get apostrophe usage and rules about numbers right. Those are requirements way before the technical part of tech authoring starts: template creation/maintenance; understanding the audience; testing the products you need to write about with competence; understanding various quality standards for documentation; active vs. passive and when to use each; being able to ask questions; being able to ask the right questions; understanding document management systems; possibly implementing document management systems; capturing screen images; know-how for creating uncluttered diagrams; and, adaptability of writing applications and other 'helper' applications (FrameMaker, MS Word, InDesign, Quark, HTML help file creation software, graphic manipulation software, graphing software, diagram creation software etc.).

I guess it just annoys me that people think that if they can write, they can instantly be a technical author. At least jasperd is asking the question. I'm trying to give him my honest opinion from my experience.

I have a science degree, but other than some miscellaneous college classes, I have no formal education or certifications in writing or editing. I taught myself proofreading and editing and got my first job as an editorial assistant because I aced their spelling and editing tests.

There are plenty of English majors who can't write, and plenty of excellent writers who never went to college.

For technical writing, though, it's best if you do have some technical background as well as the ability to write.

Hi jasperd, I was a tech writer and used to manage tech writers, and I have to say that what you did doesn't sound exactly like technical writing, but I don't know how much writing you actually did. Sometimes these requests require a lot of technical descriptive and explanation (and knowledge), sometimes just a few words. I guess I'd have to see examples. Also, what industry are you in?

Are you still employed? If you work for a large company and they have a documentation (tech writing) group, it might be easier to move into that department since you will already have product knowledge, which would be considered an asset.

Can you explain a bit more about what you do?

Most tech writing jobs require either a degree, several years direct experience, or a combination of the two.

6 months of contracts and RFQs are going to be a hard sell, epecially in today's economy.

Not usually, but I suppose it's great to gain experience in the classroom.

If it's that specialized and you are trying to stay in that industry, there is no reason you can't tout it on your resume, or target positions that require a lot of writing. Sounds like it was a sort of technical sales function. There are different levels of tech writing in every industry.

It's really going to depend on how creatively you market your self. There are always exceptions and people who stand out. If you worked in aerospace some people might be really wowed by that. Don't sell yourself short, but don't expect that it will be easy.

I used to work with a writer who was a physics major. He got the job because he was really smart, but had no tech writing experience previously.

Good luck!

I'm a EE-cum software engineer-cum copywriter with ~28 years of professional experience in all three. My opinion is that the OP's question is answered easily enough. He should acquire some examples of the type of technical writing that he wishes to do, and he should then honestly assess whether he is capable of generating comparable material himself.

I'd say that writing contracts and RFQs is a legitimate specialized niche. Did you make money for your employer by writing this material? If so, that would be part of your story. Usually, contracts and RFQs are developed by engineers and managers who struggle with the task and who don't particularly care about it.

Lastly, there are a lot of *really lame* but "credentialed" technical writers out there who meet the nominal degree and experience standards but who write *garbage* that doesn't pass as readable technical copy. As a software engineer who once struggled to complete a project that was then rendered into utter pablum by an uncommitted and lazy technical writer who wrote the user documentation, I have a problem with someone who states that the "non credentialed" should stay out.

The fact is that many "real" technical writers don't try very hard, and that it is a wide open field for the truly competent. More education and training may hone rough spots for someone with real potential, sure. I tend to perceive blanket imperatives to have degree X or Y in hand before even attempting to test the job or contract market as a form of "closed shop" thinking. As a copywriter, the most effective "training" that I have received has been OTJ in nature.

Very well said, donw9876! The communication skills of a master.

Aw, shucks.

I feel a certificate in technical writing will not help anybody . This is my personal experience . i have completed a Diploma in mass communication and i wanted to improve my chances , so i went ahead and did the course as the course authorities assured me a job . It cost me a lot of money but I was not able to get the job . I feel a domain knowledge is an absolute must.
Padma

jasperd,

Depending on where you are, you don't need a bachelor's degree to be a technical writer ... but it really helps. It sounds like with your background in RFQs and contracts, that maybe you might want to look for positions that are hybrid technical writing/proposal writing (but be careful here - sometimes these types of positions require lots of overtime) or a junior technical writer or editor position.

Take time to create some samples. You can pick an open source project that needs help and write some documentation for them. Or, write up some technical tutorials and post them on eHow. That will help you with the portfolio. If you can incorporate video or screenshots/screengrabs - it can help you.

If you want to break into the field, visit the techwr-l website (http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/index.php3). When I was a technical writer, I subscribed to the list and learned a lot from them. You might also find other newbies.

If the doors keep getting slammed in your face, consider getting a certificate or starting to work on a degree. Even before you are finished, just telling an employer that you are working on a degree during your own spare time, can work wonders.

While it is a tough economy, switching careers it isn't impossible. Just keep learning and writing. If you have the money, consider joining STC (the Society for Technical Communicators) in your area - or at least see if they'll allow you to attend a meeting to investigate ... free of charge. You'll meet other technical writers there.

Keep trying and don't give up! Post here when you get your first gig. And, if you have specific technical writing questions, feel free to pm me.

i think i dont need a degeree or a diploma for just content writing here... it should come as a result of a experience and also general knowledge

padnar said:

I feel a certificate in technical writing will not help anybody . This is my personal experience . i have completed a Diploma in mass communication and i wanted to improve my chances , so i went ahead and did the course as the course authorities assured me a job . It cost me a lot of money but I was not able to get the job . I feel a domain knowledge is an absolute must.
Padma

Click to expand...

Thanks for qualifying that with "This is my personal experience."

I have a technical writing certificate, and it was one of the more important things I've obtained. Learning how to write is good, but knowing what is expected of you as a technical writer is even more important.

Bulleted lists, clumping information, no passive voice, and other skills are something that you only learn in a program that is tailored to this profession. I've replaced people that CALLED themselves technical writers, but they were never trained as such, and their manuals were complete crap. It took me months of work to clean up the documents and make them usable.

You don't learn the content you'll need to write until you get to the place you'll be working, but you need to have certain skills to be effective. Without a degree or diploma, your documents will be harder to read, and harder to understand.

Hip-Hop-a-potamus said:

Bulleted lists, clumping information, no passive voice, and other skills are something that you only learn in a program that is tailored to this profession. I've replaced people that CALLED themselves technical writers, but they were never trained as such, and their manuals were complete crap. It took me months of work to clean up the documents and make them usable.

You don't learn the content you'll need to write until you get to the place you'll be working, but you need to have certain skills to be effective. Without a degree or diploma, your documents will be harder to read, and harder to understand.

Click to expand...

I learned all that OJT. Never took a technical writing course.

Hip-Hop-a-potamus said:

Bulleted lists, clumping information, no passive voice, and other skills are something that you only learn in a program that is tailored to this profession. I've replaced people that CALLED themselves technical writers, but they were never trained as such, and their manuals were complete crap. It took me months of work to clean up the documents and make them usable.

Click to expand...

Well, now, I certainly think there's enormous value in education, but most of the technical writers I've worked with—at Apple, Symantec, Xerox, Addison-Wesley, O'Reilly and various developers—had neither a certificate in technical writing, nor a degree in English.

They provided writing samples, and in some cases took specific on-the-job tests.

I have English degrees, and published manuals, books, and help systems, and had to take the same tests.

Mostly they seemed to be looking for writing ability, and the ability to understand the technology and elucidate it.

Hip-Hop-a-potamus said:

Bulleted lists, clumping information, no passive voice, and other skills are something that you only learn in a program that is tailored to this profession.

Click to expand...

I learned all that on my own, on my first job, from a marvelous MILSPEC on how to write repair manuals for the army.

BTW, passive voice is not a flaw if it is used appropriately to keep the focus on the right thing.

To make sure you are using passive voice appropriately, use this fast test: Put the true subject (the person/place/thing/idea you are discussing or explaining) at the beginning of the sentence and write. If the sentence has to be written in passive voice, keep the passive voice. If the move made you change to active voice, you didn't need the passive voice.
Example:
If you are discussing how the unloader arm handles the widgets, active voice is necessary:
The unloader's mechanical arm removes each widget from the cassette and places it on the conveyer.
If you are discussing widgets and what happens to them at the unloader, the passive voice is necessary:
Each widget is removed from the cassette by the unloader's mechanical arm and is placed on the conveyer.

Tsu Dho Nimh said:

I learned all that on my own, on my first job, from a marvelous MILSPEC on how to write repair manuals for the army.

BTW, passive voice is not a flaw if it is used appropriately to keep the focus on the right thing.

To make sure you are using passive voice appropriately, use this fast test: Put the true subject (the person/place/thing/idea you are discussing or explaining) at the beginning of the sentence and write. If the sentence has to be written in passive voice, keep the passive voice. If the move made you change to active voice, you didn't need the passive voice.
Example:
If you are discussing how the unloader arm handles the widgets, active voice is necessary:
The unloader's mechanical arm removes each widget from the cassette and places it on the conveyer.
If you are discussing widgets and what happens to them at the unloader, the passive voice is necessary:
Each widget is removed from the cassette by the unloader's mechanical arm and is placed on the conveyer.

Click to expand...

And that's subjective. I've been taught that passive voice is never OK in technical writing. It only stands to make things more unclear or wordy.

It doesn't matter what the focus of the action is. If you're discussing the widget and the mechanical arm, the mechanical arm is performing an action on the widget. It needs to be your active role, and the widget the passive role.

And sorry, nothing against you or anyone else who has learned through OJT. I've had a real problem in the past being treated like a glorified typist by experts who claim they know how to write because they've been experts for a long time.

Medievalist said:

Well, now, I certainly think there's enormous value in education, but most of the technical writers I've worked with—at Apple, Symantec, Xerox, Addison-Wesley, O'Reilly and various developers—had neither a certificate in technical writing, nor a degree in English.

They provided writing samples, and in some cases took specific on-the-job tests.

I have English degrees, and published manuals, books, and help systems, and had to take the same tests.

Mostly they seemed to be looking for writing ability, and the ability to understand the technology and elucidate it.

Click to expand...

I think a lot of people just stumbled into it as a career. I only did because I went back to school when it was being taught. But my certificate has opened doors for me that OJT would not have.

It depends on the field.

I work in science, and my special area is a pretty obscure branch of science. All the staff I work with have worked in that particular area and have a qualification in that area. That included the people who write the papers etc. (I shoudl add that this is because of the subject area where a base knowledge is essential. This may not be the case for all technical writing jobs)

Other than that, if you aren't specilised in a subject, then something like communications could be a good alternative.