Technical writing is hot right now in the Dev community, no question about it. it seems like everyone is starting a blog, from newbies to to seasoned software engineers. should you start writing? is it worth it? is it just a trend that will eventually die out?
I would like to share my experience on getting into technical writing, and although I'm still learning the ropes, I feel it would be useful for others to learn from and of course the benefits one can gain from it.
Intro
I actually got interest in technical writing towards the end of 2020 mainly because I saw a lot of people doing it and not because it was something I ever thought would be a source of income, at least not for me. that's not to say I'm a successful writer making money from it now(LOL), far from it.
Around September of 2020 I was really seeing widespread adoption of technical writing in the DEV community at large as well as my local tech community. being someone who's never been motivated by the amount of money I could make, I never thought it would be a viable means of income talk less of a CAREER for people in tech. I couldn't have been more oblivious, I thought people were just writing these articles for credibility, sharing their knowledge and probably just for the fun of it.
Misplaced priorities
its almost like the norm to start a tech blog if you're getting started in tech or have been in the field for a while, it almost seemed I was being left out so I hopped on the train solely for that reason. I wasn't hoping to gain anything big from writing as I knew(or so I thought) that writers usually take a painfully long amount of time to build an audience before they could actually monetize that audience, and because I had an indifference towards writing in the first place, that definitely wasn't an option for me. I had started a few articles but could not finish even one, due to my waning interest. it didn't take time for me to realize I didn't know that much about technical writing, so I had 2 options, make research or quit.
hashnode boot camp
At a similar time hash node had just announced their technical writing boot camp and I found about it and immediately applied. for the first few sessions I enjoyed the boot camp, but still wasn't sure this was a path I wanted to take, I felt writing just wasn't for me except I had absolutely no option(like in school or relation to academics). I was also experiencing some difficulties at home so ultimately i fell out of the boot camp and wrote writing off(lol, get it? write writing off?, ah nvm.)
2021 new inspiration
I honestly thought writing was gonna eventually die down, but boy was I wrong, if anything its blown tf up. I obviously still didn't get it early in the year till I made more research and engaged in conversations on it. I found out it was actually quite lucrative! seeing and having talks with the likes of Ikeh Akinyemi , Uma Victor, Fortune Ikechi, really inspired me to give it another shot and hence i re-enrolled in this years hashnode boot camp to improve my writing skill. so far the boot camp has been awesome and I'm learning a lot!
Benefits I can see
I did mention technical writing was quite lucrative earlier on and these are just some of the instant benefits you could gain from it:
1. income: you could write and actually get paid for your work instantly, much like freelancing. you write as a guest author for a blog and get paid for your articles or (if you're up to it) you could take it as a full fledged job, and it actually pays Good money.
2. knowledge: writing is also an awesome way to further test and improve your knowledge. ever heard the phrase "the best way to learn is to teach"? , well that's ever so true in technical writing! it helps further solidify concepts in your head while exposing the strengths and weak points in your knowledge. it really helps you assess what you know (and don't know).
3. authority: all this while building credibility and an online presence!, think of it, if you remain consistent in writing articles and sharing your knowledge in a particular niche eventually people will notice you as an authority in the field. if you write an article and its published by a company's blog , automatically that company's blog SEO works in your favor as people who come across your articles on that website will see you as the author.
4. job hunting: another benefit to that could be in your job search, potential employers who come across your knowledge display in the form of these articles would definitely have a feel that you know what you're talking about and it could improve your chances at getting a job.
Reflection
Having clear goals will help you remain focused on getting where you want to be. on getting into technical writing at first, I didn't have any particular goals I was working towards while exploring the field and just did it because I saw other people in the field were doing it. on talking to people with a bit more experience in it as well as researching helped me gain insight and streamline my goals as I now work towards accomplishing them in this field. technical writing definitely has a lot of benefits and only the exposure it gives you is definitely worth considering.