Writing for IT
by Olga Kostiouchina
The continued rapid development of the software industry prompts the creation of many positions for technical writers. Writing for IT is probably what the vast majority of technical writers does. They document the software, create API for programmers, often serving as liaison between the developers and end users.
What do you need to know for specializing in IT:
You don’t need a degree in Computer Science to start writing for an IT company; however, there are a few useful things you could learn to improve your chances of landing a job and do better in this field.
Take some courses in web development; many employers require experience with HTML authoring.
Get acquainted with some of the more popular programming languages as well as databases; job descriptions often list the ability to understand the source code and create database queries as an essential and required skill.
Knowledge of XML is especially useful and not just for working in an IT company, it’s essential for structured authoring, single-sourcing and using such technologies as DITA for creating a broad range of documents from a single master document.
You can learn all this part-time at BCIT. You can also learn on your own using books and online videos.
Oftentimes the programmers use the auto-generated documentation which you as a technical writer would have to clean up, organize and bring it to its final publishing stage.
The specific knowledge will help you better understand your SMEs and decipher whatever documentation may have been already created in the software development process.
What can you expect to write in IT industry:
Here’s a sampler of what kind of documentation you may be creating as an IT technical writer:
- Installation guides
- User guides
- Quick and thorough reference guides
- Troubleshooting guides
- Online help
- Glossaries
- APIs (Application Programming Interface)
- Training modules
- Various manuals for end users, system administrators or technical support stuff
- Marketing materials explaining what exactly the software does
If you decide that writing for software industry is your cup of tea, make sure you include appropriate samples in your portfolio. Pick an open source software program and try to create as many documents from the list above as you can. If the software is complex, pick a few aspects that you can document thoroughly, and include something like a quick reference guide.
The usual rules for technical writers apply and are strongly encouraged: consistent terminology, concise language, usage of style guides.
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