A few days ago
Anonymous

Any non-fiction or technical writing majors out there?

My major is technically “Professional and Technical Writing.” I like to write and edit non-fiction. I am taking some technical writing courses, but mostly as a backup. Also, I’ve read a couple of places that technical writers get paid pretty well, compared to other entry-level writing positions.

I’m just wondering what kind of jobs a non-fiction writing major can get. I’ve read the Occupational Handbook but it’s pretty vague – do most people writing for magazines, newspapers, publishing companies, etc?

Thanks!

Top 1 Answers
A few days ago
Teresa H

Favorite Answer

My brother majored in English and got his MA at Santa Cruz University, went into the Air Force and learned engineering, and is now a head tech writer for Google. He makes a lot of money.

I work at a major networking company in San Jose and we have tons of tech writers who have backgrounds like yours. Starting salary is $100k.

Journalism is the background required for newspapers, not non-fiction writing — because reporting is the key skill required. You could write as a freelancer for magazines. But they make not so much money.

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