Who can do/what is technical writing?

It depends on what you're writing about. I do a lot of technical writing. But I'm also a programmer. And I try to do most of my writing on topics that I'm comfortable with. However, you could take a look at technical writing of User's Guides for software. Those are basically How To manuals.

A good place to start is to find a software Open Source project (sourceforge.org) and find one that appeals to you and could use some documentation. You'll be doing it for free but at least you'll get one under you belt and find out what it's like.

Technical writing in the medical field for medical devices requires a good gasp of medical terminology and some understanding of physiology and engineering.

..Tech writing is a fantastic career Bluejester12 and one that can pay really well. The advice from Timinator is good; if you are interested in software TW, find an open source project that you can contribute to (eg open office) so you can get some runs on the board.

There are some great resources at Raycomm: http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/index.php3. The mail list (http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/abouttechwhirl/index.html) is very informative (from memory it is high volume). Perhaps subscribe for a week and see if the stuff discussed floats your boat. If it does, go for it. If it makes you want to hit your head with a hammer, another career might best be sought

Good luck, FB

Technical writing in any field requires an "expert" level of knowledge of the subject, instead of just a working knowledge. You're generally writing articles for viewing by people WITH a working knowledge who want to know more (pretty much "preaching to the choir.") For manuals and reviews, you're speaking to a mixed audience.

However, you don't have to have PRIOR knowledge of the subject, because for new products, that simply wouldn't be possible. You can "learn on the job" with each assignment. For example, in a technical article for a gun magazine I wrote about a new bullet being introduced, I contacted the developer of the round to find out HOW it was created, and included information about design, construction, and performance.

"To tell you the truth, we were a little surprised," confirmed Hornady’s Dave Emary, the creator of the .17 HMR. "We expected it to be a success, but the level of demand is incredible."

Building a Leaner and Meaner Varmint Round

What is it about this small, sleek cartridge that has sporting goods employees sneaking boxes from deliveries for their own private stash? Inside a necked down .22 Magnum Rimfire is Hornady’s .172 V-Max 17 grain hollow point boat tail. The bullet is less than half the weight of a .22. Pushed along by a scant 5.4 grains of powder, the bullet’s mostly polycarbonate center not only keeps the weight light, but provides for its highly frangible impact.

Click to expand...

This level of detail is what afficionados of firearms want. "Oh! So it's a necked down .22 Magnum! I wondered what they had used, but wow -- only 5.4 grains. How can that work?"

In any field from software to electronics, power tools, guns, etc. there is a need for good technical writers. But yes, you'll either need to know details, or learn them from experts in order to do the article, manual or review.
Good luck!

For software and I.T.

I wanted to add my two cents.
It's helpful to know something about the software development lifecycle and current technologies to be a technical writer for software and systems development.
A BA or MA in English or Journalism will give you a great grasp of the language, style, organization, and defining your audience, but it's not going to help you wade through the different phases of development and use technical diagrams and specs as your input.
Rarely do tech writers in software dev have a working user interface from which to write a user manual or Help Text, and you certainly won't have that for planning and estimating your work.
In my opinion, tech writing as a role is fading out and more Business Analysts, Quality Assurance Analysts, Architects, and Usability Engineers are taking on this role along with the other roles they play. By the same token, many long-time tech writers in I.T. are moving into project management, business analysis, or QA as tech writing does have it's ceiling, both in salary and usefulness to the development organization.
Get familiar with software development phase by phase and the artifacts that are input/output. You should be good to jump in and create a lucrative career that utilizes your experience and skill in communications (a rare commodity in I.T. and engineering. )

Cathy C said:

However, you don't have to have PRIOR knowledge of the subject, because for new products, that simply wouldn't be possible. You can "learn on the job" with each assignment.

Click to expand...

That is true. I'm fortunate enough to write for an IT news company that was willing to let me learn on the job. 10 months and over 300 original articles later, I have learnt the kind of details that Cathy C speaks about.

I've gone from being an ordinary telephone and internet user, with no technical background, to someone who can comfortably compare the types of telecoms technologies such as WiMax, CDMA 2000, GPRS, 3G and HSDPA and whatever else is used or tested.

My strategy was to do a heavy load of research for each story, then phone up someone involved in the business asking them to clarify issues. These are people who help me with background info, but would not necessarily be quoted. That helped me determine what was routine information, and what would make the readers sit up and take notice.

I also attend a large number of seminars and conferences planned for people in the field. The events are a source of news stories, but my fringe benefit is that I absorbed the information and met people I can later ask for help.