How I became a technical writer 
As you may or may not know, my main writing income comes from technical writing and consulting. I should say technical communication but few outside of the industry really understand what that term means …
How I became a technical writer is an interesting story. I didn’t start out with that ambition — I graduated from journalism school. But like many people in my current profession, a confluence of circumstances drew me to technical writing. And I really don’t regret the move.
The path I took
Like a lot of kids in the early 1980s, I had some interest in computers. I had a personal computer — a Commodore VIC-20 — on which I played and did some simple programming. But after trying a bunch of things, I discovered that all I could really do with any degree of competence was write non-fiction. More importantly, I enjoyed it.
So, much to the chagrin of friends and family I focused my efforts and energies on getting into journalism school. During my time there, I learned a lot and planned to become a full-time freelance writer. I did that with widely varying degrees of success. My first article for a paying market was accepted when I was 19. But due to editorial changes, it was never published. I did snag a kill fee, though. During school, I continued to write — mainly for small publications and community newspapers.
After graduation, I tried getting a few jobs in journalism but never quite made it. I kicked around for a while, doing writing and editing and proofreading. It was a precarious living, to say the least.
First steps in the professional world
My first real gig as a freelancer was writing for a mutual fund company. It was a six month gig that stretched into two years. That job helped me hone my style, improve my word processing and desktop publishing skills, and garnered me some financial knowledge. I also learned a lot about the corporate world. More than I think I wanted to.
That gig came to an end, and I was at loose ends for a while. I tried to figure out what to do next while writing for newspapers and magazines of various sizes. Again, it was something of a precarious living but better than starving.
Making the leap to technical writing
A couple of programmer friends suggested that I try technical writing. I didn’t know much about that, so I went to the bookstore at my alma mater and bought a book on the subject.
I studied the book, and also taught myself HTML, wrote articles and reviews, and started learning other technologies. I also wrote short manuals to practice my technical writing skills.
Also during that time, I applied for various writing jobs — technical and non — but came up short. Then, I got a job with a finanacial software firm. What got me hired where my knowledge of HTML, the fact that I was willing to learn, and that I would work for a pretty low salary.
My two years at the company were my technical writing school. I learned the finer points of writing documentation, of building online help, and of working with developers. All the while, of course, I worked on my more serious writing.
Losing, then regaining, my enthusiasm
I moved on to a number of other technical writing gigs, both full time and contract. There were times when I got incredibly frustrated with technical writing and was determined to leave the profession.
Why? Partly due to feelings of not being fulfilled, either creatively or professionally. Partly due to politics, and partly due to boneheaded decisions on the part of management. Then, I met my current business partner.
A few months after we started working together, things started to become clearer. We could actually enjoy technical writing, and on our own terms. And we could continue to do other writing. We’d be working for The Man, but we’d be The Man.
That’s how things are now working out. Professionally, I’m less stressed and happier. I’m becoming more and more fulfilled, and gaining quite a bit of recognition from my peers. And I’ve been expanding my skills — everything from new technologies to public speaking and presenting.
What technical writing means to me now
I’m in a well-paying profession. I have the flexibility to move from one job to another. But I also have a separate outlet that enables me to write the kinds of things that I want to. Sure, I’d like more time to persue the latter. But I enjoy what I do.
In 10 years, I may or may not be a technical writer. If I am, great. If not, then the skills and experience that I’ve picked up over the years will definitely be a help in whatever writing career I decide to pursue.
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