Technical writers - making the complex simple

At first glance, a career as a technical writer - someone who compiles manuals and user guides for software, electronics, websites and technology - seems dull.

While technical writers are constantly in demand for their ability to pore over technical specifications and convert them into instructions and guidelines anyone can follow, few would view it as a dream job.

But Laurie Chisholm, a senior technical author for Tait Electronics, describes his career as an opportunity to "create a beautiful whole".

A technical writer for 14 years, Chisholm enjoys discovering what makes new technologies work and the challenge of rewriting them so everyone understands.

"It's not like creative writing. Your aim is not to produce beautiful, elegant language but a language stripped down of everything non-essential," he says.

Technical writing is a discipline and like any career involving minutiae, it holds special satisfaction for those skilled at it.

Steve Moss, vice president for the Technical Communicators Association of New Zealand (TCANZ), says technical communication is an old profession that is constantly evolving.

"Years ago, technical writers documented machinery and equipment; today they're more likely to work on information for software, websites, intranet pages, and procedures and polices in business areas like knowledge management," says Moss. However, he says technical writing can be boring.

"There is drudgery and days when you think 'I can't stand another minute of this' but if you have a passion for explaining potentially complex information to people who need that information, there is definitely a sense of satisfaction at the end of the process," says Moss.

Chisholm says technical writing appeals to people who have a passion for language and an interest in how things work. "I get to understand and write about quite cool things, GPS systems and new digital equipment, for example," he says.

People skills are needed to communicate with engineers and developers who produce the original material. "Technical writers are jacks of all trades. We do the word processing and the drawings that go with documentation; we take photographs and manipulate those into the document," says Chisholm.

Moss says because New Zealanders have little awareness of technical communication as a profession, many get a feel for it while working in a technical industry.

"They might be working in software development, engineering, or accountancy and find they enjoy communicating the [jargon] of that industry in a simple way for people," says Moss.

The need for technical and communication skills means many technical communicators are older - the youngest technical writer on the Tait Electronics' team is about 35, says Chisholm.

Moss says few technical writers are under 25 in New Zealand, partly through lack of awareness and partly a dearth of under-graduate courses.

"There are some post-graduate courses available in New Zealand, and we can give people advice on how to get started," says Moss.

Technical writing offers good national and international job security. IT and electronics companies, website owners, government administration and military organisations are all prolific employers of technical communicators.

New technical communicators can earn between $40,000 and $45,000, with rates of between $50,000 and $60,000 for five years' experience. The salary ceiling is around $75,000 for a group manager, but contract work can be lucrative at $45 to $55 an hour.