In this article, I’d like to introduce you to technical writing (its essence) and the tech paths you could build a career in technical writing.
Sections:
1. Why technical writing drives all the innovation in the world.
2. Career paths in tech that extensively use technical writing in tech (Product Management, Software Engineering, Product Design, Data Analytics)
Why Technical Writing?
Imagine if every tech article on the web began somewhat like this:
“Our solution requires the application of an elliptic curve cryptosystem to secure a multi-signature bitcoin blockchain”.
Did I hear someone say: Speak English?!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Nobody even understands a word of what that sentence is saying except you’re a nerd, a software engineer (the few ones that can 🙄), or a computer scientist. I don’t 😁.
Fortunately, there’s a savior for us all: technical writing. What a technical writer does is dumb down these complex ideas into layman’s terms; words that you and I on the street can relate to and understand. This is the secret backbone behind every technical field in the world: medicine, mathematics, computer science, etc.
What is Technical Writing?
Technical writing is the bridge that connects those already shrouded in knowledge to those seeking new knowledge, especially in tech.
For newbies, understanding technical concepts take time and will require some dumbing down to get started. And then bit by bit, the newbie becomes highly skilled.
For the highly skilled, technical writing allows them to condense concepts to not just juniors, but to the entire world at large; breaking down highly difficult technical concepts into sentences every reader can grasp.
In the absence of technical writing in whatever form, knowledge would be extremely difficult to pass down to new entrants in sophisticated industries. It would mean that we’ll all have to read articles like the example I mentioned earlier. Oh, boy!
Which Career Paths in Tech Use Technical Writing Extensively?
As a techie, you may be wondering if you need technical writing as a skill. The answer is yes, and below I point out some career paths in tech that use technical writing extensively.
I should point out that this list is certainly not exhaustive. With that out of the way, let’s dive in.
Product Management:
As a product manager (in view), this one is close to my heart. We’re generally planning, developing, launching, and managing new products and services — including your favorite tools like WhatsApp and Instagram. We are vital to managing the whole product life cycle from ideation to growth and on to the maturity stage. Some might argue that product management does not require technical skills (in the strict sense) but forget that technical writing is about the flow of ideas. Technical writing helps make this flow easier among product managers and the teams they lead, and vertically through the experience chain.Product Design:
Product Designing involves the process of designing a product after the development of an idea. Product design focuses on both function and form; it creates tangible tools used in everyday life. Product designers are those who design products according to the needs of the customer and the company. Technical writing makes product design easier for newbies to understand, so they know what goes on behind a product design.
Software Engineering:
Software engineering is defined as a process of analyzing user requirements and then designing, building, and testing software applications that will satisfy those requirements. It’s using a set of programs to build something that serves a particular purpose and finds a cost-effective solution to problems. It may seem easy to grasp now because I attempted to water down the complex stuff. It is one of the best areas to start a career in technical writing.Data Analytics:
This involves reporting qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate one’s business strategies and performance. Data is useless unless it can be studied and analyzed to extract the meaning inside it. And that’s precisely what Data Science does! Data Science is very popular currently and it is even called the “Sexiest Job of the 21st Century” with around 11.5 million new jobs created by 2026. This is also a tech career path that needs technical writing because it's easy to get lost in a pool of data and resources.
For more reading, you may want to check out these articles.
Product management — Wikipedia
What is Technical Writing? The Complete Guide (2022) — Contentre Blog