Expert: Dan Smith - 3/11/2006

Question
Hello,

I was wondering if you knew of any "hot spots" (cities) that have a good demand for technical writers.

I'm wondering because I'm about to graduate in June with a degree in English/technical writing, but I've found out two sobering things: 1) Many of the jobs are consulting jobs, and 2) I haven't seen too many openings for entry-level jobs.

Any insider information that you'd like to share? :)

Thanks,

Chris  

Answer
I don't have much more insight than you have. This is something that is frequently ocntracted for on a project basis. I contract both independently and through agencies from time to time.

Austin is adding jobs in general, and the unemployment rate is quite low. So there's some demand here, but it's not exceptional. Many technical writing jobs are filled by people who are actually subject matter experts in the fields they write in and who also happen to be able to write. The results are often mixed.

Wish I could be more help, but I'm one of the free lancers. It's just the nature of the beast.

By the way, I do resumes and have for more than 20 years. So if you'd like someone knowledgeable to look over your own I'd be happy to.