Technical Writers and Editors
Overview
Introduction
Technical writers, sometimes called technical communicators, express technical and scientific ideas in easy-to-understand language. Technical editors revise written text to correct any errors and make it read smoothly and clearly. They also may coordinate the activities of technical writers, technical illustrators, and other staff in preparing material for publication and oversee the document development and production processes. Technical writers hold about 58,400 jobs and editors, including technical editors, hol...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Median annual earnings for salaried technical writers were $72,850 in May 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salaries ranged from less than $44,320 to more than $117,250. Editors of all types earned a median salary of $61,370. The lowest paid 10 percent earned $32,620 or less and the highest paid 10 percent earned $122,280 or more.
Technical writers who worked for compute...
Work Environment
Technical writers and editors usually work in an office environment, with well-lit and quiet surroundings. They may have their own offices or share workspace with other writers and editors. They may be able to utilize the services of support staff who can word process revisions, make photocopies, e-mail and fax material, and perform other administrative functions or they may have to perform all...
Outlook
The writing and editing field is generally very competitive. Each year, there are more people trying to enter this field than there are available openings. The field of technical writing and editing, though, offers more opportunities than other areas of writing and editing, such as book publishing or journalism. The coronavirus pandemic disrupted many professions in 2020, causing budget cuts an...