Who can become a Technical Writer?
One of the most rewarding jobs for people who move to Israel from English-speaking countries is technical writing. But you don’t have to be a tech geek to become a technical writer!
Israel’s tech industries are always looking for technical writers. But we’re not only talking about hi-tech – today Israeli companies are specializing in bio-tech, green-tech, fin-tech, agri-tech, and canna-tech (cannabis research and production) are all growing fields!
You might think that you have to have a technical background to become a technical writer, but that’s not true. One of Our Best Words’ most successful recent graduates, Avi Chazen, used to work in tourism and is now a technical communicator for a global software company.
“I was looking to pivot out of tourism even before COVID because I enjoy learning new things”, says Avi. “It turns out that being a good communicator gave me an advantage as a writer, because I am good at communicating freely with developers to understand what needs to be documented. To become a technical writer, you don’t need a technical degree. You just have to be technically competent, organized, and a good communicator. If you can take complicated information, understand it, and make it accessible to others, you can work in technical communications.”
What do Technical Writers Do?
You can work in-house for one company as a technical writer, information developer, or documentation manager, or you can work as a freelance technical writer for multiple companies. Your main work would be writing user guides and release notes for technical products. You need to think like a user in order to translate the developer’s jargon into simpler language. Technical communication professionals may also help with designing the user interface for products.
Our Best Words observed a trend among hi-tech start-ups who want people who can not only write their technical documentation but also their internal documentation, and their marketing materials, such as white papers.
Israeli companies, in particular, may even ask their English-speaking technical writers to write their promotional campaigns and run their social media campaigns. If you can offer MarCom expertise alongside your TechComm skills, this will help to bump up your salary! (That’s why Our Best Words offers a combined course in Technical Writing & MarCom)
How Can I Learn Technical Communication?
The good news is that you don’t need to go back to school to become a technical writer. Our Best Words offers a 5-month course taught in the evenings, so that people who are working during the day can participate.
Our Technical Communication Foundations course runs over 15 weeks, with classes on Tuesdays and a follow-up Lab or discussion session on the following Monday. This course is taught by our Principal Technical Communication Lecturer Leah Guren, who is a Fellow of the STC (Society for Technical Communication) and a founding member of Tekom Israel.
Also on the TechComm team at Our Best Words are FE King and Laura Novich, two highly experienced technical writers and ITCQF Certified Instructors, who sit on the International Technical Communication Qualifications Foundation Board and prepare our students for ITCQF certification. Laura teaches Advanced Technical Writing Skills and Technology for Software TCs. She also helps our students to find internship projects (such as GitHub) and paid employment.
How much could I earn as a Technical Writer?
Our Best Words invests enormous efforts to find work for all of our course graduates. We not only run workshops on how to find work, and help students to optimize their resumes and LinkedIn profiles, but we also look out for opportunities for them in Israel’s dynamic tech markets, and leverage our contacts to get them interviews with good companies.
Some of our 2020 graduates are already earning salaries of between 14,000 – 17,000 NIS per month shortly after completing the course. (You can find out more about what technical writers earn from the international 2020 Write the Docs Salary Survey).
So, if you are wondering whether Technical Communication could be a good career move for you, we’re here to answer your questions and help you make the right decision.
Click here to join our Virtual Open House on Sunday July 25, 2021