<p>I am currently pursuing a double major in Statistics and English. I guess you could say I'm in the "poking around" stage (I'm still a freshmen) and decided to pick a degree for work (Stats) and one for play (English; I am very passionate about this, but have always been reluctant because of job outlook). My grandfather, who is usually very knowledgable about things academia-related, suggested a career in Technical Writing once I go to grad school, calling English (which he had previously defended) "a terrible, terrible shrinking field."</p>
<p>This seemed to be especially viable because many schools, including accredited ones like MIT, have degrees specifically in Technical Writing and the demand for Technical Writers seems to only be going up. </p>
<p>I would like to discuss what this whole process entails and if my current undergrad situation supports going to grad school for technical writing. I'll start off with a few questions:</p>
<p>-Does my undergrad prepare me for a graduate degree in technical writing, or would this goal, if pursued, be more reachable through a double-major in a Science and English (I would like to keep the English major in the mix)?
-Do technical writers make decent money/ is the demand for them actually going up?
-How often do technical writers get published and would this connection with publishing then make it easier for me to self-publish later on in life?</p>
<p>Any other personal experience or advice regarding publishing/ technical writing would be much appreciated!!</p>
<p>P.S. I wasn't exactly sure where to put this so if the thread needs to be redirected, so be it.</p>
<p>Atom, good for you! You will find that your love and skill for writing can take you very far. I think you are on the right track with technical writing. A double major or science major/English minor will take you a long way. I suggest, however, that you think of yourself as a STEM person with exceptional communication skills, a love of stories, etc. This gives you access to numerous rewarding careers. If you limit yourself to thinking about just the writing side of things, you might miss the chances to write about the way you solved a problem, or researched options, or understood a customer’s requirement. I once hired a young man with a chemistry-journalism major who was in an entry level job writing specifications. Many years later he has been promoted many times into sciencey supervision jobs. His science background and great communication skills served him well. Good luck!</p>
<p>Atom,
Your major in English does put you in very good standing for Technical Writing, the question would be what aspect of technical writing do you want to do… Within my profession, Project Management, being a good technical writer is key. For example writing a technical specification document for a project proposal needs to be written is a very clear and concise matter, to avoid misunderstanding and to ensure that the contractual requirements are clearly defined. Technical writers, are at times contracted in to do these work. However, it is increasing common for the internal Project Office, supporting a Subject Matter Expert to be assigned to draft technical documents. I would say that the more lucrative approach would be as contracted Project Officer with technical writing skills. Someone with this skill set (on a project) would normally earn $300-$400 per day as a contractor and half that as a permanent employee.
Source: <a href=“Project Templates”>http://www.facebook.com/ProjectTemplates</a></p>
<p>Atom, I just came across your post and thought I’d throw in my two cents. I faced the same questions as you when I was a college freshman quite some time ago. I started as a double major in journalism and physics, then made other adjustments before switching schools and doing an independent major in science writing. I then entered the workforce in newspaper and magazine journalism, and after a few years went to a federal lab in public affairs, where I remain today. Along the way I also picked up an MBA when I got into management. I don’t think of myself as a technical writer – my focus more is writing about science ideas for a general audience – but I work with a lot of them. My impression is that both the technical writers and the science-oriented public affairs writers I know come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, in many cases in completely unrelated fields. Having said that, a degree in technical writing would certainly give you an edge when getting into the field initially. If you have a particular graduate program in mind that you’d like to get into, I don’t think it’s too early to get in touch with the people who run it and find out what undergraduate options would serve you well to get into their program. Apart from that, I’d encourage you to use this time of life to explore other academic options before worrying too much about locking into a plan. Good luck!</p>
<p>Note that there are differences in technical writing for technical versus non-technical readers. Go to the library and compare magazines like Nature and *Science<a href=“for%20technical%20readers”>/i</a> to magazines like *Scientific American<a href=“for%20non-technical%20readers”>/i</a>. Or compare the New England Journal of Medicine and other medical journals to general-audience web sites like <a href=“http://www.webmd.com”>http://www.webmd.com</a> . A good technical writer will know how to tailor his/her writing appropriately.</p>