Technical Writing: A New, Exciting Option for
Indian Freelancers
chillibreeze writer
More than 12,000 job listings show up in a quick search using the key word “Technical Writing” on a popular Indian job search portal. To put this in perspective, let us look at the number of vacancies for more popular and socially esteemed careers such as Engineering and Accountancy. “Engineer” and “Accounts Finance” when used as key words on the same site show approximately 19,000 and 14,000 jobs respectively. Isn’t this surprising? A comparatively lesser known field is in almost as much demand as other more recognized careers.
Looking closely at the technical writing jobs thrown up in the search we see that majority of these positions are with software companies, while some are in the online marketing or web development area. Software companies require technical writers to write or revise hardware and software documentation for their products and services. Documentation includes user manuals, guides, help pages, error messages etc. Web companies require technical writers to write and edit website content. Technical writers working with web based companies are also responsible for ensuring that the website ranks high in relevant key word searches on search engines. This is a specialized area of technical writing called ‘Search Engine Optimization’ (SEO).
While companies clearly articulate the role of technical writers in job advertisements, education requirements are not as well defined. Many companies require technical writers to have a Bachelor of Arts in English or Journalism while some want them to have a degree in computer sciences. Bharti*, a technical writer currently with a multinational software company says that in the absence of any formal education in this field, for most people the choice of technical writing as a career, is not by design but by chance. She herself “just bumped into it” when she came across a job opportunity for technical writing at the computer training institute where she was pursuing a short-term computer skills course. Though she attributes joining this field to fate, her future, she believes, is in her hands.
She is optimistic about her career growth as many technical writers are also finding well-paying jobs in related fields such as instructional design and e-learning. Though she admits that technical writing is still considered a “support” function by many organizations and remuneration may not be as much as in software development, the increasing demand for technical writers is definitely driving salaries upwards. The India chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), a worldwide online community of technical writers, recently conducted a survey of salaries. The survey results showed that salaries grew more than 200% in the last six years. The median annual salary for a technical writer in India in 2002 was Rs. 2.85 lacs which rose to Rs. 6 lacs in 2008. The survey also shows that the current average salary for a fresher in this field is approximately Rs. 2.5 lacs and those with around 10 years of experience earn as much Rs. 13 lacs.
As the reach of technology increases and more and more laypersons access hi-tech products and services, the requirement for technical writing is only going to rise. Technical writers will be sought after due to greater demand for instruction manuals and related documents in easy to understand format making it a lucrative career path for Indian writers. Technical writing has arrived and is here to stay.
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