Quest to discover the most rewarding technical writing jobs! A Guest Blog by Judy Holt, Technical Writer

As I progress through BCIT’s technical writing courses, I wonder what’s in store for me at the end of the certificate. I see many technical writing positions advertised, but wonder which of them would be most rewarding. I can’t help remembering negative comments by friends that technical writing must be ‘dry’ or ‘boring.’ I’m hoping to prove them wrong! So, what makes a job rewarding? Most people agree that it’s more important to enjoy your job and gain experience, than to earn lots of money—although that’s nice too! A 2007 survey on Job Satisfaction in the United States revealed that the most fulfilling careers involve helping others or being creative. This is good news, because don’t we do both as technical writers? Contrary to negative perceptions, it is only with a great deal of creativity that we can present complex information in ways that make sense to, and motivate, readers. While all this is promising, I’m no closer to finding out what types of technical writing are the most satisfying, and the web doesn’t offer much help. I found plenty websites confirming that technical writing is a good career choice, and read some interesting articles on the site I’d Rather Be Writing. However, in an unprecedented failure with a web search, I didn’t find a single article comparing different technical writing jobs. Did I miss some published articles? Or have I just found my first, real-world, technical writing project?!