How To Become An Engineering Writer: What It Is and Career Path

What is an engineering writer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Emily Griesinger Ph.D.,

Shane Tilton Ph.D.

The average engineering writer salary is $78,642. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an journalism major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become an engineering writer. Engineering writers with a Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 3,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an engineering writer?

Emily Griesinger Ph.D.

Professor of English, Azusa Pacific University

I would say "don't give up" because your literacy gifts are especially needed right now. Those who have done excellent critical thinking and writing as English majors can make persuasive arguments and discern the credibility of arguments being consumed by others, who may not be so discerning. Based on years of reading and interpreting great literature, you can "read" characters, why people do what they do, and the capacity to imagine the joys and sorrows of other human beings. So, my general advice would be to consider how to market such skills in creative ways for the common good.

ScoreEngineering WriterUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $78,642

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.35%

Asian 8.72%

Black or African American 6.63%

Hispanic or Latino 7.82%

Unknown 4.98%

White 71.49%

Gender

female 40.66%

male 59.34%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an engineering writer

Explore engineering writer education requirements

Most common engineering writer degrees

Bachelor's

71.4 %

Associate

13.7 %

Master's

6.9 %

Start to develop specific engineering writer skills

Skills	Percentages
Digital Marketing	29.97%
Blog Posts	13.33%
WordPress	11.67%
Website Content	10.43%
Maintenance Manuals	7.19%

Complete relevant engineering writer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New engineering 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 writer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real engineering writer resumes.

Research engineering writer duties and responsibilities

Manage projects diligently under aggressive deadlines while maintaining editorial integrity and ensuring stories have entertainment and/or educational value.
Create floor plans and elevations on AutoCAD.
Use of AutoCAD to create and modify engineering job drawings.
Perform SME quality investigations and prepare documentation ahead of schedule for early FDA document filing.

Prepare your engineering writer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your engineering 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 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 writer resume templates

Build a professional engineering 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 writer resume.