Moving to a New Career in Technical Documentation - Part 1

Is lateral entry into the profession the norm?

Until a few years ago, lateral entry into a career as a technical writer was indeed the norm – after all, it’s a relatively new career field. As such, all of our established colleagues found their way into this profession following a career change. Some acquired their linguistic skills through professions in engineering, some dealt with technical devices and processes as a humanities student, while others dealt with the concepts of didactics and education as a designer.

It is true that degrees in technical writing have been available at universities and colleges for some years now, but their graduates are unable to meet the level of demand for this sought-after profession. For this reason, the door remains wide open for career changers seeking a position as a technical writer.

Is lateral entry feasible without qualifications?

“Qualifications” is the right buzzword here. Naturally, all career changers bring qualifications with them from their previous professions that they can put to good use in technical writing: the expertise related to technology and physical processes held by engineers; the ability to recognize and interpret text structures gained in the humanities; and the art of using graphics to make content understandable acquired while studying design. And knowledge gained during vocational training can, of course, also be put to good use as a technical writer; this is often even easier to apply than the theoretical knowledge obtained while studying at university.

However, all career changers are also required to learn new things and to at least demonstrate a willingness to acquire this knowledge. For example, an interest in linguistic communication is just as essential as the ability to understand devices and machines and to comprehend how to use them.

Accuracy and a high degree of quality awareness are essential character traits of a good technical writer. If you’re looking to move across to this profession you should also enjoy dealing with people, as you’ll be in touch with a range of contacts on a daily basis. And last but not least, you will also need to be able to bear significant stress, because you have to keep track of tight deadlines and complete documentation projects without compromising on quality.

Career change – why (not) go for it?

A varied field of work awaits lateral entrants to the profession. Technical writing is a multi-discipline role with links to many departments in the company, and it therefore offers the opportunity to get to know many areas of your own company. The tasks tackled by a technical writer are wide ranging and leave room for creative development. Be it in new media, artificial intelligence, or innovative forms of learning – there’s room for many interests in technical writing.

Individuals looking at options for a new career should therefore consider further development as a technical writer to be an interesting prospect. In our blog, we’ll soon be informing you of the paths available to career changers looking to qualify as a technical writer.