- Yes, you can absolutely make a living from it. Salaries do vary greatly, though, across location and industry. I've more than doubled my own salary in 5 years moving between roles. API tech writing or developer docs is one specific area where you can make a pretty high salary. Your previous experience could certainly help you here.
- I have always worked in permanent roles, but there are a lot of consulting opportunities out there if that's your preference.
- I have been working from home since 2020. I enjoy it because I need the focus and quiet time to complete projects.
- Yes, for my last job search, most companies wanted a portfolio. Open source is a great way to start. You could also check out the Google Season of Docs program. Do you have any written documentation from your previous roles, such as process docs, etc.?
This is my second career, and I truly love the solid mix of technical, helping other users, and working with language. Best of luck!
I worked with an engineer that transitioned into technical writing. They worked in-house as an FTE and owned the company's knowledge base, and had no prior experience with our industry before his role.
It seemed like a lot of:
- Developing and enforcing a style guide
- Updating and creating new docs
- Communicating with PM / dev / support for prioritization & accuracy
B2B companies with enterprise customers need good docs to scale support and I'd imagine technical writing for open source projects + a technical CV should be enough to help you land a job.
I worked a year as a contract technical writer between undergrad engineering and starting a dev job. It was mainly a lot of manufacturing process documentation and process time studies.
Where do I get one of these tech writing destroying AIs that will both understand how to use my product and produce clear, concise guides for doing so without burdening the existing team?
My thought is that AI will transform aspects of the job, such as outlining, ideating, or formatting, but it will not replace the job. Just like the transition over time from creating print manuals to working with static sites or content management systems, the job will continue to evolve and change with tech.
To any technical writers listening :
- Can one make a living from it?
- Typically are you working on a consultant basis, or permanently for a company?
- The job seems like an ideal WFH gig, is this the case?
- Seems to me you will need a 'portfolio' to get work? I'm guessing starting with Open Source projects would be a good way to build up a body of work?
Cheers.
(edit - formatting)