Top skills required for a Technical Writer

Technical Writers are the unsung heroes behind the scenes, making sense of the digital chaos and bringing clarity to complexity. These are people who help us bridge the gap between the technical aspects of a product and how to use them with perfection. But, what does it really take to be a top-notch Technical Writer? Besides excellent writing skills, these professionals need to master the art of simplifying the complicated using some essential skills that make them different from general Content Writers.

This post aims to help you understand all about the main Technical Writer skills and the best degree course one should pursue to excel in the technical writing career.

What are Technical Writer skills?

The ability to distill complex technical jargon into clear and simple terms is an invaluable skill required to be a Technical Writer. These Writers with their strong writing skills can communicate relevant information accurately and effectively. Their strong research skills help them to gather relevant information from various reliable sources and present that information in a coherent manner. Technical Writers who possess these skills are proficient in creating documentation that is clear, concise, user-friendly, and informative.

Essential skills for Technical Writers

Primarily Technical Writers help transform complex information into knowledge that can be applied across functions. There is an overload of information on every subject but it mostly lacks clarity.  Technical Writers with their unique skills help in understanding and decoding intricate information into digestible nuggets of knowledge. If you want to pursue this career option, you must acquire the following essential skills for Technical Writers:

Technical writing skills

A basic understanding of the subject matter along with effective writing skills is considered as the most essential skill.  To become a good Technical Writer, you should be able to comprehend information and articulate it effectively. Your objective should be to communicate all the technical concepts of a product to the target audience without compromising on clarity, coherence, and precision.

Editing and proofreading skills

Technical writing is not blog writing, where you can use fancy words and keep going with a lot of creativity and imagination. You need to be familiar with the technical tonality and also edit and proofread the article before the final submission for product manuals and documentation.

Communication skills

The third key skill for Technical Writers is to be able to communicate well with others to finish the task on a set deadline. Besides, the person should be able to apprehend any mode of communication available about a product or service to write technically. 

Ability to adapt

As a Technical Writer, you can’t progress unless you learn how to move with the trend and adapt to the current requirements of the project. Therefore, it is a must to have the ability to adapt to create documentation that meets the varied needs and preferences.

A clear understanding of the product

Up next, a budding Technical Writer must pay attention to understand how a product functions, its key purpose, and repair or replacement aspects. Based on this clarity about the understanding of the product, can a writer write about its technical aspect?

Understanding the target audience

Technical Writers are expected to write for a target audience, who are going to use a product after reading a product manual written by them. This requires technical proficiency and an understanding of the level of language the target audience will understand.

Knowledge of the technical tools

The knowledge to use technical software is one of the main Technical Writer competencies to excel in this profession. Be it for writing, layout designing, document management, or audio-video editing, it is a must for a Technical Writer to be able to use popular technical writing software tools for these tasks.

Organizational skills

Since technical writing is a highly complex concept, therefore Technical Writers must be able to do thorough planning. They should also possess good organizational skills to manage the workload and meet the set deadlines without committing errors.

Research skills

To emerge as a successful Technical Writer, it is equally important to know how to do thorough research on a topic or product. Only after understanding the product and the target audience through proper research, can a Technical Writer capture data for perfect content.

Team working skills

It is not just for technical writing, teamwork is essential for the success of any professional. As a Technical Writer, you must be able to work in collaboration with a team of programmers and developers.

Technical Writer scope in India

Fueled by the country’s thriving technology sector, the scope of technical writing in India is vast and expanding. The country is emerging as a global hub for IT and software development offering a plethora of job opportunities for skilled Technical Writers, who are experienced in communicating complex technical information to the target audience. Moreover, India’s burgeoning startup ecosystem, and the rise of innovative technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT) have created new opportunities for budding Technical Writers as well as experienced ones.

Technical Writer salary in India

Owing to the high demand for Technical Writers in the last few years, the salary package in this field is quite lucrative but may vary in India based on the Technical Writing expertise, location, job profile, and skill set. The average salary for an entry-level Technical Writer is up to INR 5.56 lakh per annum, whereas, it may go up to INR 7.85 lakh per annum. Besides, one can earn more by pursuing a freelancing career in technical writing with flexible work timings.

Best degree for a career in Technical Writing

When considering the best degree course to kickstart a career in technical writing, you can pursue an online Master of Arts (MA) in English to lay a strong foundation in language, literature, and critical analysis to craft engaging and well-written content. An online MA degree course hones the research skills to gather and analyze information from diverse sources. Moreover, the course also includes digital media and communication, preparing graduates to excel in the digital age.

The other relevant course that can help you write technical content is an online Master of Computer Applications (MCA), which acquaints the individual with technical knowledge related to computer science, software development, and technology. Students gain expertise in programming languages, and information systems, which can be advantageous in writing technical content for IT, software development, and cybersecurity industries.