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What is an engineering technical writer and how to become one
This position is under the manufacturing engineering manager's direction and includes manufacturing equipment documentation and certification. The engineering technical writer generally works alongside engineers in a technical environment.
They create and compile documentation for manufacturing equipment operation, qualification, and certification following company-standard formats and industry best-practices.
An engineering technical writer needs to break down complex information and make it simple. They have to know how to use language to give the users exactly what they need when they need it.
To be eligible for this job, applicants must have a bachelor's degree (technical preferred) with one year of technical writing experience or an associate's degree with three years of specialized writing experience. Additionally, written and spoken technical fluency in English is also preferred.
Engineering technical writers can earn a median salary of $72,850 per annum. The best-paid twenty-five percent of engineering writers make around $93,590 that year, while the lowest-paid twenty-five percent make $56,570.
What general advice would you give to an engineering technical writer?
Edoardo Sarda Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Robotics Engineering, Lake Superior State University
Avg. Salary $64,966
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 6%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.35%
Asian 8.62%
Black or African American 6.50%
Hispanic or Latino 7.69%
Unknown 4.96%
White 71.88%
Genderfemale 35.97%
male 64.03%
Age - 45American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 45Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Engineering technical writer career paths
Key steps to become an engineering technical writer
Explore engineering technical writer education requirements
Start to develop specific engineering technical writer skills
Skills Percentages API 9.59% Technical Documentation 9.31% Java 7.69% Technical Writers 6.93% HTML 5.84% Complete relevant engineering technical writer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New engineering technical writers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an engineering technical writer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real engineering technical writer resumes.Research engineering technical writer duties and responsibilities
- Develop software requirements documents for proprietary medical software device; manage documents through SDLC in fda-regulate environment.
- Experience with, Robohelp, Framemaker, MSWord, PDF software, editing procedures, proofreading, Photoshop and more.
- Create a telephony-base API guide.
- Create network diagrams in Visio.
Prepare your engineering technical writer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your engineering technical writer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an engineering technical writer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable engineering technical writer resume templates
Build a professional engineering technical writer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your engineering technical writer resume.
Apply for engineering technical writer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an engineering technical writer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first engineering technical writer job
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Average engineering technical writer salary
The average engineering technical writer salary in the United States is $64,966 per year or $31 per hour. Engineering technical writer salaries range between $47,000 and $89,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do engineering technical writers rate their job?
Engineering technical writer reviews
Diversified projects and project responsibilities.
Needing to continually explain to supposedly more educated persons the basic writing and grammar mistakes when proofreading.
I don't like having to share a staff common room
Updated January 8, 2025
