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Careers / Technical Writers |
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| Reviews |
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| There are 2 reviews of this career. |
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| Write an online review and share your thoughts about this career with others! |
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Author: |
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Anonymous |
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Date: |
January 28, 2007 |
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The best way to enter the technical writing field is to transition through your experience. For example, if you have telecommunications, medical, or legal experience, then you can apply for a job (usually a 1- to 3-month contract position) in that field. A bachelor's degree in English is desirable, preferably in Liberal Arts. While long-term positions exist, there are many short contracts or "contract-to-permanent" positions, as well. You can either enjoy traveling about the country or area, or you can detest the uncertainty and upheaval of frequent job changes.
You will be expected to step right into the work, reading some background material and then organizing the information immediately. However, you may not have a computer right away--or an office chair! Be prepared to deal with using the least powerful computer and the squeakiest chair, by the way. They may have to pay you well for the short-term assignment, but companies often don't realize that they maximize their return on your wages by providing a stable working environment (in every sense of the word).
The work can be interesting and challenging as you rewrite into one "voice" the inputs of people from different career fields, and probably from different parts of the world. You had better have, or develop, a good ear for hearing names from many languages. Also, you will need a "feel" for how ideas are presented in those languages, so you can correctly interpret the inputs you receive. You will need skill in dragging inputs out of the unwilling, preferably while maintaining good rapport.
Technical writing offers lots of variety and interesting assignments. There can also be a terrible plodding sameness--you aren't being paid well to write creative copy, after all! It can be hard to develop a stable environment, and your references may be moving about almost as much as you do. You will have to maintain reasonably good internet contact with former managers, possibly by providing humorous or interesting information periodically. On the other hand, you may get a long-term assignment that is a good "fit" for you. Remember to keep up your skills and contacts, even so. Industries are in a lot of flux, and your long-term job can disappear instantly in a company reorganization.
Be sure to cultivate good "recruiters" at stable agencies. Many companies have lists of acceptable agencies and require million-dollar bonds, which can block you from representing yourself to the employing company. Keep copies of all work-related documents in a safe place, from contracts and clearances to pay records. And rework that resume at least every 6 months, in several standard and popular formats.
You will need to network with your contacts for new work, and you will need to register with the big resources like Monster.com.
You will probably be responsible for your own benefits and retirement, and may have to fund your own holidays and vacations. Pay rates and agency-provided benefits fluctuate with the availability of work and general economy.
If you are flexible and skilled in organizing and presenting information in a readable format, know or learn the most sought-after software programs, and maybe have a little skill at drawing basic block diagrams or circuitry, and have the discipline to maintain your own retirement and emergency funds, you can enjoy the variety and challenges of a technical writing career. |
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| Write an online review and share your thoughts about this career with others! |
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Author: |
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Anonymous |
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Date: |
January 16, 2007 |
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As a grant proposal writer, I work for non profit organizations to solicit funding from foundations, corporate foundations and government agencies. I fell into the career by accident, I was doing graduate work in Urban Planning and learned how to write grants in school.
It is in many ways an interesting and challenging career - depending on the organization you work for, you may get to participate in program planning and implementation or help out with fundraising events. It is very deadline driven, so time management skills are very important. Also, as a grant writer, you often have to write the same material over and over again, changing it to fit into a specific funding guideline - so a talent in creative repetition is also important. Because so many funders are so specific in their requirements, attention to detail is extremely important.
Grant writing is a field where it is easy to find work, once you have a track record of success. I would recommend finding an established, well-organized non-profit organization that already has a track record with funders. This way, it is easier to start off with successful grant proposal submissions. Once you have some success submitting proposal you can work for an organization or freelance - grant writers often command hourly salaries in the range of $30 - $100, depending on experience. I do find that most organizations prefer to have a salaried grant writer in house rather than telecommuting. I do find that in the beginning, until you understand the working of the organization, it is more useful to be on-site.
Having it all to do over again, I probably would. The work is interesting and I can do it independently. You can make a comfortable living as a grant writer.
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| Displaying reviews 1 - 2 of 2 |
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| Interesting Fact |
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| While anesthesiologists have one of the highest incomes of all professions, they typically pay over 20% of their after-tax income for professional liability insurance. |
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| Did you know... |
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| MyPlan.com has over 150,000 pages of free articles that profile various careers, industries, colleges, and majors! |
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