Technical Writer

As a technical writer in automation, I work alongside engineering project teams to create documentation for custom machines across industries, from agriculture to medicine. On the day-to-day, I'm writing manuals, designing diagrams using CAD software, and compiling documentation packages.

Writing is the biggest part of my job. I write procedures for operators to follow; design is definitely a major part as well. I spend most of my day in Adobe InDesign, but I'm also bouncing between engineering software, Photoshop, and Illustrator on the daily. I work with fairly rigid guidelines, working with my company's templates and different customer specifications, so a lot of my creative energy goes to problem solving the best way to communicate concepts to the audience, usually operators or maintenance personnel.

I found a technical writing role within a few months of graduating. I've been with the same company since, growing within the documentation department. One major move was acquiring certification to be a Laser Safety Officer in order to ensure the safety of our machines with Class 3B and 4 lasers and submit documentation to the FDA to go alongside it.

The things that had the biggest impact were the people, from the professors to my peers. I'm still in touch with a lot of other writers who were in my classes, and we share our creative projects, our career ups and downs, and our personal and professional successes. I'm always excited to see my friends' pieces when they are published and they do the same for me.

This is one of the few times in your life that you will have to devote to such a breadth of different writing projects. Take advantage of it and do a little bit of everything. Make a habit of the things you like the most and that feel the most fulfilling. As a creative person in a more technical role, I have to devote time to the kinds of writing and art I enjoy or life starts to feel one note.