Technical writing is a pretty specific college degree, but you’d probably be surprised at the variety of jobs you can obtain with this qualification. If you’ve just graduated with your technical writing degree or are thinking about pursuing it, knowing there are jobs out there just for you makes a huge difference. Here are a few career options for technical writing majors:
- Copywriter
As a copywriter, you are responsible for creating and writing articles, advertisements, and various other publications on television, the internet, radio, and print media. You must determine what is appealing to consumers, then develop effective marketing campaigns for your company. In addition to handling the written aspects of the projects, you will also have to coordinate with the art directors to create cohesive, finished products. - Grant Writer
Grant writers do a lot more than simply writing the grant proposals. They also have to conduct extensive research to determine the prospects for the grant, comply with all grant reporting requirements, track statistics relevant to the project, and compose annual reports alongside their grant/research manager. To obtain a paid grant writing position, you generally need to have some experience with non-profit fundraising. - Content Editor
In addition to writing content for a website, you also have the opportunity to be a content editor for a specific site. As the editor, you are responsible for planning marketing campaigns, creating and editing website content, coordinating with other writers, and monitoring visitor behavior and feedback. You will need to be familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), have a good eye for detail, and excellent organizational skills. - Medical Writer
You don’t need to have a degree in the sciences to be a non-scientific or marketing medical writer, but you may find it helpful to take a medical writing course or two while you are completing your technical writing degree. Otherwise, you can usually learn on the job. As this type of writer, you will either focus on writing news articles and educational pamphlets for the general public, or you write clinical documents, including study protocols, study reports, or informed consents. - Speech Writer
As a speech writer, you will mainly work in the public relations industry. Before you ever start writing speeches, you are required to conduct a vast amount of research on the topics, which generally include political issues and demographic trends. Then, you compile all of your research into a speech that must meet the parameters that the client has given you. You will usually spend quite a bit of time with the client so you can understand how they think and speak, and how you can use that in the speech.
