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This question is about technical writer.
It takes 7 years of professional experience to become a technical writer. That is the time it takes to learn specific technical writer skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 10 to 12 years years to become a technical writer.
There are certain skills that you need to obtain in order to become a successful technical writer. Some of the most common skills are listed below. Along with each skill, we provide an actual example of how someone included the skill on their resume:
Technical Documentation -- Designed and developed the technical documentation needed for supporting the Technical Services and Application Development groups of the Information Technology department.
Subject Matter Experts -- Scheduled and coordinated meetings with subject matter experts and other cross-functional teams on multiple documentation projects that I managed simultaneously.
Powerpoint -- Developed sophisticated PowerPoint presentations for cross-departmental meetings.
Technical Information -- Provide excellent support with technical information along with assisting with developing and disseminating information on operating and procedural policies and activities.
Training Materials -- Produced training materials and end-user documentation for systems used by advertising professionals to purchase and schedule media time.
The education needed to be a Technical Writer is normally a Bachelor's Degree. Technical Writers usually study English, Business or Writing. 72.0% of Technical Writers hold a Bachelor's Degree and 12.0% hold a Master's Degree. We found these by analyzing 35421 Technical Writer resumes to investigate the topic of Technical Writer education more precisely.
The most common colleges for students to pursue their goal of becoming a Technical Writer are University of Phoenix and University of Maryland - College Park. We also broke down what colleges provide the best overall education for a Technical Writer. Students have a great path to earning their Technical Writer qualifications at the following schools:
If you're interested in getting a college degree in an affordable college for Technical Writers - University of Florida is an excellent option for you. If your SAT or ACT score aren't as high as you'd like, you can look at Saint Joseph's College of Maine, as the admission requirements aren't too selective. On the other end of that spectrum are the Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis and Northeastern University.
For those who would rather stay in your pajamas during the day, we prepared some online courses that can help in Technical Writer education paths.
The Certified Technical Professional (CTP) certification is most common among Technical Writers. This certification is awarded by the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering. This certification is great to have as it shows an improvement in your competency to perform your role. You can earn this certification at the beginning of your career, as it often doesn't require a minimum education level and work experience. To become a certified Technical Writer with Certified Technical Professional (CTP), You need to pass the exam. Lucky you - certification doesn't require more than two years of work experience. Renew certification every year.

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