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Technical Writers

Description
Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
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Experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Education
A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Tasks
  • Organizes material and completes writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.
  • Edits, standardizes, or makes changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.
  • Observes production, developmental, and experimental activities to determine operating procedure and detail.
  • Maintains records and files of work and revisions.
  • Selects photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material.
  • Confers with customer representatives, vendors, plant executives, or publisher to establish technical specifications and to determine subject material to be developed for publication.
  • Arranges for typing, duplication, and distribution of material.
  • Draws sketches to illustrate specified materials or assembly sequence.
  • Analyzes developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material.
  • Reviews manufacturer's and trade catalogs, drawings, and other data relative to operation, maintenance, and service of equipment.
  • Reviews published materials and recommends revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding.
  • Assists in laying out material for publication.
  • Interviews production and engineering personnel and reads journals and other material to become familiar with product technologies and production methods.
  • Studies drawings, specifications, mock-ups, and product samples to integrate and delineate technology, operating procedure, and production sequence and detail.
National Average Salary
$51,650.00/year

Average Salary in Maryland
$55,670.00/year

Important Abilities
   1. Written Expression
   2. Written Comprehension
   3. Information Ordering
   4. Originality
   5. Oral Comprehension

General Work Activities
   1. Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
   2. Communicating With Other Workers
   3. Documenting/Recording Information
   4. Interpreting Meaning of Information to Others
   5. Drafting & Specifying Technical Devices, etc.

Important Skills
   1. Writing
   2. Reading Comprehension
   3. Information Gathering
   4. Synthesis/Reorganization
   5. Information Organization

Frequent Work Context
   1. Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
   2. Job-Required Social Interaction
   3. Indoors
   4. Objective or Subjective Information
   5. Provide a Service to Others

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The majors and institutions listed here are based on the current information in our database. Please be aware this information may be subject to change. We strongly encourage you to consult with your career counselor.




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