As posted here on Friday in the Links Roundup (and tweeted repeatedly Friday and over the weekend), CNNMoney.com last week released its list of the Top 50 Best Jobs in America and (surprise) Technical Writer is squarely in the middle of the list at number 28. The list is compiled and rated by Money magazine and PayScale.com, a Seattle-based firm that claims to have the largest database of online employee salary data in the world.
The survey’s definition: “Technical writers write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, online help documentation, operating directions, and maintenance instructions.”
The CNNMoney.com article says the median salary is 67,400 and top pay of $99,600. (STC’s Salary Survey reported median salary in 2008 to be $61,620 and the 90th percentile to be $97,460.) Technical Writer also placed fifth on the Top Ten list of jobs with low stress, with 56.4 percent of those surveyed agreeing.
Several STC members noticed the listing and commented on the article’s page about their chosen profession and the survey. Hit “click to continue” to see a few of their comments:
Kit Brown-Hoekstra: Technical communicators do so much more than just write equipment and software manuals, and work in EVERY industry, not just IT. The Society for Technical Communication is the largest professional organization for our profession and has a wealth of information about us (https://www.stc.org). As an independent consultant, I get to work on projects that range from wildland fire to software to medical devices. It's a great job for someone who loves the ideas behind science and technology and has excellent communication skills. The work can range from auditing documentation processes for best practices and internationalization issues to researching and implementing a content management system, from designing a content strategy to developing a template, from writing and reviewing technical magazine articles and books to editing a newsletter, or from developing proposals to conducting training.
Denise Kadilak: I’ve been at it for 11 years now and think tech writing is a great job, but I’ve been lucky and managed to avoid contract positions. Nice to see us in the Top 50 jobs list.
In addition, Tom Johnson questioned the accuracy of the survey, specifically how it indicated there were 50,000 tech writers in 2006 and now there are 80,000—perhaps due to double-counting. He posted these questions and others in more detail on his blog at http://is.gd/4eVjZ.
Good post! I totally believe that this offer is a good opportunity to those who have the skills of being a writer. Maybe this could be your good outlet to become a successful one. Thanks.
This made my heart skip a beat. My major is English with a minor in Technical Writing. Looks like I chose the right path. I love to write and I am not a big fan of stress. This is good news for me!