Breaking In

Question: I'm a good writer. I've been a newspaper journalist for 13 years. How can I become a technical writer?

Answer: Take our on-line course, 'How to Do Tech Writing.' In it, you actually write two real manuals. You get a job as a technical writer by showing manuals you wrote. In this course, our editors read the sample manuals you turn in and tell you how to improve them.

Question: I have worked as a programmer, and want to get into technical writing. Do you have any advice?

Answer: We need YOU!

Even in a bad economy, hardware and software companies release products. They MUST include instructions. Otherwise, customers cannot instal, use or troubleshoot the chip, machine or software. Most of the 41,900 high-tech companies, just in California, must produce instructions for VERY technical users: programmers, network administrators, electrical engineers who use chips. Software and chip companies desperately need technical writers who can explain APIs (Application Program Interfaces) and, better yet, write code samples in Java, C++, or C#.

You already know the hard stuff. You just need to learn how to write a good user guide (easy). To learn how to produce a good manual and online Help, take our online course, ‘How to Do Tech Writing.’ You take it at your own pace, learn 35 writing rules the best technical writers follow, then write real user instructions. Our editors tell you when you forgot to follow one of the rules.

With a sample, showing that you know how to do tech writing, you can make $92,000/year, because you understand programming languages.

Question: So do you help with job placement after one completes the course? So like in my case, I have an undergrad degree in psychology and want to become a technical writer. Would completing your course be adequate for finding a job? And what salary can I expect? We are moving to the Temecula area this winter or early spring so I want to be ready to hopefully get a job as a technical writer then. I currently work at our local public health agency but I do some writing of policies and grant writing. So I just want to get a feel if your course would be enough for me to get a job in California or not. Thanks.

Answer: Does Temecula have software, chip, robotics or medical equipment companies? Those companies need thousands of pages of user instructions. Technical Writers get hired.

If you take our course, write some real user instructions, and plug in the edits one of our editors give you, you can probably get a job at a high-tech company. But you must LIVE near that company to do the work, which you must do on site, in the Company’s facility.

To have us send your resume to one of our clients, which we do have nationwide, you must have:

1	User Instructions show, written following the 35 writing rules we teach in our course
2	A B.S. or a B.A. degree (which you do have)
3	A professional appearance and demeanor during an interview
4	A residence near a high-tech company.

They’ll start you at $55,000./year, for entry level.

If you stay at the first company for two years and get three MORE beautiful user instruction samples to show, that you produced, you can get $68,000. at the 2nd Company who hires you.

If you stay at the second company for two years and get additional user instruction samples to show, that you produced, you can get $78,000. at the 3rd Company who hires you.