Success with technical writing

A good technical writer also has to be good at training others, because it is a part of the job profile.

If your passion for technology is exceeded only by your passion to communicate, there is a career which may be ‘write’ up your alley.

In an IT firm, technical writers are needed to communicate what the software does. This could be in terms of user documentation, user manuals or any other documentation that is required to support a technical endeavour.

To know more about what it takes to make a technical writer, Education Plus spoke to Lalitha Subramanian, who heads the Technical Writing Department at Tata Consultancy Services.

Ms. Subramanian sums up three must have for a tech writer – understanding of complex technology and complex applications which can be translated for the user. So, technical writing means writing to a specification for a specific audience, she says. It does not stop here. “Excellent communication skills, ability to understand technical concepts, business, domain and applications is needed,” starts off Ms. Subramanian ticking off a long list of qualities of a tech writer. The writing has to be simple, easy to understand. It cannot be jargon-free but you have to use jargon effectively and accurately, she says. Good language skills are a must. The tools of the trade come later, she says. And, those skills are put to test – TCS has a three-hour test for tech writers. “We believe we can train those recruited,” she says. Most of the skill is learned on the job. “Larger organisations act as effective training grounds for freshers to get into the groove,” she says.

And, a good technical writer also has to be good at training others, because it is a part of the job profile. “You need to make others write well too. Constantly you need to educate yourself. Work on smarter and more innovative ways,” says Ms. Subramanian. Sounds tough? There is more.

“The salaries are equal to that of IT professionals,” says Ms. Subramanian. And the career path is similar to that of an IT professional. The timelines could get aggressive. “With delivery deadlines closing in, there could be a lot of pressure,” says Ms. Subramanian. Multi-tasking also takes up time. “You will be working on multiple projects,” she says. And, there are opportunities to go abroad. “Onsite assignments in projects where they need documentation are there,” she adds.

So, who can become a tech writer? “English majors, journalism majors, MBAs, Commerce, lot of technical graduates who want to communicate end up joining us,” she says. There is a lack of good courses for technical writing, says Ms. Subramanian.

“If courses are designed collaborating with the industry, it would be great,” she adds. And, tech writing is a skill which Ms. Subramanian says every IT professional needs to know. “Engineering colleges should have such a course,” she says, “It is proven that as you move up the ladder, you spend more time communicating.”