Are you aspiring to become a successful technical writer? Do you want to know more about technical writing as a career option and its scope in the current world? Well, this article is for you to give an insight into what technical writing is and the ways to become a technical writer. We have also listed down the best available online technical writing courses for you.
As business organizations these days rely more on the content they publish, we could see a steady rise in the demand for writers. Owing to this demand, the field of technical writing is growing at a faster pace and people started considering it as a prospective and successful career option.
Defining Technical Writing
Initially, technical writing was just documenting the processes such as software manuals and instructions manuals. But later the term got broader than just being limited to user manuals. Now, technical writing is the writing or drafting that is done to explain complex, technical, and specialized information to the readers.
It is mostly used in domains like robotics, engineering, manufacturing, aerospace, biotech, computer hardware and software, consumer electronics, medicine, and finance. To be precise, companies use technical writing to explain to their end users about their products and their features and functionalities in simple terms.
All the technical information must be presented crisp and clear, hence there is no need for a lengthy user manual anymore. Technical reports, policy briefs, press releases, and emails are all some of the forms of modern technical writing.
Categories of Technical Writing:
Consumer-directed Technical Writing:
This refers to the technical content that is written for the consumers or end users. Examples are user manuals, employee handbooks, SOP (Standard Operating Procedures), legal disclaimers, troubleshooting guides, software installation manuals, software user documentation, etc.
Expert-to-expert Technical Writing:
This is the content written for the domain-specific audience who already knows the subject. This includes medical case studies, legal case reviews, scientific papers, annual business reports, etc.
Technical Marketing Content:
This refers to the technical information that is presented in a digestible format to promote a product or service. Examples are Marketing case studies, white papers, press releases, product brochures, business plans, proposals, etc.
Who is a Technical Writer?
A technical writer simplifies and condenses complex and technically challenging written information so that target audiences may easily read it. They are responsible for creating documents that explain the product’s features and benefits.
Technical writers collect technical information and compile it to produce maintenance and operating instructions, technical and instructional manuals, journal articles, and other documentation for manufacturers, designers, and clients.
With some content strategy and product scoping, they make sure all the information is available for readers to understand what they’re reading.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Technical Writer:
The roles and responsibilities of a technical writer vary depending on the industry and company that they work for. They frequently serve as the mediator between the less technical readers and the more technical employees in diverse teams. To create a communications plan, they will collaborate closely with these teams.
Their duties frequently go beyond just writing. They must comprehend every aspect of the project, from its high-level objectives to its intricate implementation. A Technical writer should possess excellent language, writing, and communication skills to create professional and flawless documentation.
Technical writers also need to have excellent research and exploration skill for performing vast research so that they can create documents that have clear and useful information for the readers. Thus, they establish a sort of credibility with the audience.
While working on a task, the technical writer must first analyze the target audience and understand their requirements. This kind of accurate audience analysis helps in creating the document’s content, design, and presentation and also helps in deciding the tone of communication whether it can be formal, lighthearted, casual, or professional.
For instance, Software documentation is typically quite clear and easy, so that new users can follow, whereas medical procedures used by doctors may be less simplified because it assumes the reader already has an understanding of the subject.
At the Workplace, a Technical Writer May Have To:
- Gain a thorough understanding of the product and the documentation requirements by working with internal teams.
- Create excellent documentation that complies with regulations and is suitable for the target audience.
- Create development instructions, online assistance, and user interface content that is simple to grasp.
- To assist end users in using a range of programs, create tutorials.
- Identify chances for reuse and single-sourcing by analyzing current and potential material.
- Establish and keep up the information architecture.
Are you getting curious to know about the top 8 online technical writing courses? Before that, let’s see the skills needed for a technical writer.
Skills Required for a Technical Writer:
A Technical writer needs to master a certain set of skills just like any other profession. You can find here some of the most common skills required:
Research:
The first step in technical writing is researching the subject. Once you start with a task, you will have to collect the data(numerical/non-numerical) and convert it into valuable information.
There are many different sources of research, such as:
- Interviews,
- On-Site Data,
- Online and Intranet Publications,
- Libraries,
- Research Databases
Once done with the research, you must summarize your findings and start organizing your work.
Analyze:
The information researched and gathered has to be shaped according to the reader’s interest, understanding, and view. The job of technical writers is to convey highly technical information to a non-technical audience. Hence you need to be good at analyzing your audience so that you can provide information according to their needs.
Communication Skills:
Communication skills are the basic requirement for a technical writer. You will have to work with different teams and their team members. So, the ability to learn, listen, convey and communicate is very important.
Technical Skills:
The technical skill set of a technical writer varies according to the domain and depends on the subject, product, or service that needs documentation. Technical writers usually work in technical positions and are supposed to summarize information cross-functionally to other departments within the company.
So, it’s very important to understand the technical nature of the content you are writing about. Technical writing is easier for people with a technical background though they are beginners in writing.
Writing:
Writing skills is the most crucial requirement for a technical writer. The ability to write clearly and concisely helps to communicate efficiently to a variety of audiences. With extremely good writing skills, a technical writer makes sure that the documents are easily readable and flawless. Choosing the right tone, style, and format for the document is also an important task.
Here are a few other best online courses available for great career opportunities
- Online Content Writing Courses
- Online GST Certification Courses
- Online Business Accounting and Taxation Courses
- Online Financial Modeling Courses
Design:
Designing documents is considered a key aspect of technical writing. A technical writer is responsible for adding graphics to complement the document as well. The graphics are needed to help the readers comprehend the information. A complete technical report has graphs, tables, and charts. A technical writer has to be proficient in formatting documents, graphics, and illustrations.
Digital Tools:
Technical writers must be well versed with computer systems and certain tools as they are expected to produce documentation in a variety of formats. Beyond basic text editors, technical writers have to create graphics, interpret images and screen captures, extract data from Excel and represent it in charts and tables.
Adobe FrameMaker, RoboHelp, MSWord, MS Excel, MadCap Flare, PageMaker, and Quark are some of the tools that organizations use to produce their technical documentation.
Usability and Testing:
A technical writer has to take part in usability and testing as well. Though it is not a major role, the technical writer should be aware that validation of the documentation is important and should ensure that the product works the way it is documented. Technical writers take a major role in the User experience team in some organizations.
These skills are only a part of what a technical writer offers. Depending on the technical writer’s experience and educational background, their skill sets can differ greatly.
A career as a technical writer sounds interesting and challenging, right? You can become a skilled technical writer by pursuing the certification course. This article lists the top 8 online technical writing courses.
Top 8 Online Technical Writing Courses
It is obvious that technical writing has become an integral part of any business organization and the requirements for professional technical writers are growing steadily. As a result of this, many institutions have come up with structured technical writing courses that are available online as well as in physical classrooms. We have short-listed some of the popular online technical writing courses for you to go through and get enrolled.
1. IIM SKILLS
IIM SKILLS is one of the best institutes providing online technical writing courses. Being an online training platform, IIM SKILLS offers you a thorough education in content writing, CAT coaching, GST, digital marketing, etc. It is regarded as an institution that prioritizes students over everything else.
IIM SKILLS offers a high-quality course that covers all the basic and advanced concepts of the technical writing process. The mentors are all well-versed in technical writing and engaged in producing material for prestigious firms.
The interactive online classroom setting for the online technical writing courses lasts for 5 weeks with 20+ hours of lecture. The lively interactive workshops that the institute holds offer lots of room for discussion and innovation.
Technical Writing Course Curriculum Includes:
- Technical Writing Overview
- Audience Analysis
- Methods to Choose and Research Topics for Presentation
- Content Creation
- Technical Report Writing
- White Paper, Journal Writing
- Conversational Writeups
- Publishing White papers And Journals
- Medical Writing
- Case Studies
- User Manual
- DDLC, Versioning
- Competition Analysis
- Formatting, Structuring, Tone of Communication
You will improve your writing abilities and get an understanding of the various aspects of the technical writing process during this intense training program. This Institute also provides internship opportunities for its technical writing students.
They can put their learning into practice by creating documents and articles. Be it a technical blog or a detailed white paper or a scholarly article, the students will have the opportunity to create their content and evaluate their progress.
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You can view a free demo to learn how IIM SKILLS designs and organizes the course for the candidates. If you are unhappy with how the course is designed, you have the option of receiving your money back after the first session.
A great feature of their online technical writing courses is that the students have lifetime access to their learning management system which has all the recorded class sessions, course materials, updated content, case studies, and introduction to newer tools as and when introduced.
Course Fees: Rs.14,900 + GST
Contact: info@iimskills.com
Also Read: IIM SKILLS Technical Writing Course Review
2. Udemy
Udemy is one of the most sought-after online learning platforms across all streams. You have free lifetime access to all of the course materials once you enroll in them. In addition, their courses include excellent downloading materials. You easily gain access across all of your smart devices and receive a completion certificate.
Technical writing certifications and courses come in a wide variety. You must look through the course offerings and select one that meets your needs for a technical writing course. We have listed down the top-rated online technical writing courses from Udemy.
- Business Writing & Technical Writing Immersion: By Starweaver team, Paul Siegel
This is one of the best seller technical writing courses on Udemy with high rankings. You will learn how to format your business writing in this course. You gain knowledge on how to begin technical writing and produce information-packed, convincing copies.
In addition to learning about cutting-edge tools and strategies that will assist in producing flawless proposals and documents, the course will be able to help you raise the readability quotient of your work.
The training is best suited for executives, students, working professionals, stay-at-home moms, and anyone looking for work-from-home jobs. They will aid in both your skill improvement and your understanding of the fundamentals of the technical writing process.
You will get knowledge about such topics as audience analysis, producing short, coherent, and meaningful articles, word choice improvement, and document clarity improvement.
Course Fees: Rs.3399.
Course Duration: 4.5 hours of on-demand video
- Professional Technical Writing: Advance your Writing skills – By Ugur Akinsi
This technical writing course on Udemy is one of the most expensive courses and is considered to be one of the best online technical writing courses. It is instructed by Ph.D. Scholar Ugur Akinci, covers the essential elements of technical writing in addition to its fundamentals and more complex ideas.
This is a beginner-level course and you will learn the fundamentals of technical writing, the creation of document templates, and writing the first User guide.
Course Fees: Rs.7900
Duration: 6 hours of on-demand video
- Technical Writing: How to Write Software Documentation – By JPDocu School of Technical Writing
You learn to create flawless technical documents with the use of GitHub. You’ll also learn to use several tools to write systematically. You gain knowledge of the writing and editing processes, which will make the writing process easier. You will be able to use tools like Oxygen XML Author effectively after taking this course.
This course also covers the significance of metadata taxonomies to further improve user assistance asset findability. SmartArt in MS PowerPoint and Google Slides are the tools that you will learn in this training program.
Course Fees: Rs.3499
Duration: 13 hours of on-demand video
- Technical Writing: How to write using DITA XML – By JPDocu School of Technical Writing
This is also one of the most popular and best-seller technical writing courses on Udemy. This helps you to become a modern and successful technical writer with the help of DITA XML. In this course, you learn to write using DITA XML topics and maps and create documentation using the tool Oxygen XML Author.
Like how to Reuse on maps level (mapref), topic level (topicref), topic element level (conref), and table rows (conref- conrefend). This course also teaches you to create interactive images and image maps. You will also get a hang of how to configure and customize your DITA HTML output.
Course Fees: Rs.3499
Duration: 9.5 hours of on-demand video
- Learn API Technical Writing: JSON and XML for writers – By Peter Gruenbaum
This is one of the best available online technical writing courses which teaches you how to document structured data, even if you do not have any programming knowledge. You will read and understand structured data in JSON and XML formats and create documents for the same.
This course will give you a thorough knowledge of writing documents for API and other types. This course will help to improve the skills of a technical writer a step ahead, while the beginners can get an understanding of the fundamental and advanced concepts of JSON XML and API documentation.
Course Fees: Rs.999
Duration: 1-hour on-demand video
Recommended Read: Technical Writing Courses in India
3. Coursera
Coursera has been one of the leading online learning platforms offering various courses across the streams. They do offer technical writing courses for beginners, intermediate and experienced professionals. The popular and in-demand course from Coursera is:
Technical Writing by Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology:
This course by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology is recognized as one of the best technical writing courses for developing sharp technical writing knowledge. You will learn to research reports, design feasibility reports, progress reports, and laboratory reports.
You will gain knowledge on how to use research while arranging and gathering information. Your capstone project will assist you in applying your knowledge and evaluating your comprehension of the fundamental ideas of technical writing.
This training program is designed to provide you the knowledge of the different styles of structure and to create impeccable reports that are high in quality and information.
4. LinkedIn Learning – Technical Writing: Quick Start Guide
With a vast network and huge influence across the globe, LinkedIn is involved in training and upskilling professionals through their platform LinkedIn Learning. Their online technical writing courses from LinkedIn Learning are best suited for beginners and intermediates and are led by thought leader Leslie O’Flahavan.
A quick start guide is typically a user manual that comes with software or hardware. In this program, the writing instructor teaches Leslie O’Flahavanyou to write a quick start guide which helps the readers answer their questions by explaining the components, best writing practices, and the overall strategy.
She also guides you on how to develop your quick start guide based on customer feedback. This course also helps you in identifying the overall purpose of your guide, create accurate and relevant documents, and know the different writing practices to create high-quality content.
The courses are detailed and offer an engaging learning environment through online sessions. The main benefit of enrolling in a course at LinkedIn is that you have the opportunity to connect and network with professionals in the relevant area, which increases your chances of finding employment in the fields of work you are interested in.
Initially, you have a free trial period of a month. After that, you must buy the course. Additionally, the course will include practical assignments and transcripts. You may practice what you learn in the course with the help of these hands-on training materials, which also enable you to evaluate your progress and domain knowledge.
Recommended Read: Technical Writing Courses in Delhi
5. SkillShare – Technical Writing: Getting Started
This is again one of the best online technical writing courses on the Skillshare platform which is conducted by Katharina Grimm who is an educator, writer, and expert in technical writing concepts. It’s a beginner-level course that teaches the basics of technical writing.
You will also learn to create high-quality technical documents in a structured way. You will also understand the misconception associated with technical writing. This course is best suited for engineers, product managers, and related professionals.
Course Lessons:
- Introduction
- What is Technical Writing?
- Some common misconceptions
- What is Good technical writing?
- Creating good technical writing
- The writing process
- What makes a good technical writer?
- Things to make life easier and Conclusion
Course Duration: 1 hour
6. Information Developers Foundation
This is one of the popular institutes offering courses in technical writing. The institute’s mentors are experts in both technical writing and business writing and have vast experience working in the content writing industry. The Technical Writing Mastery course by IDF covers almost all the topics of technical writing in an intensive course curriculum. This helps you to gain complete knowledge on the subject and become a successful technical writer.
Concepts Covered in Online Technical Writing Courses:
- Introduction and Concepts of Communication
- Technical writing and Communication essentials
- Software Development
- English Grammar
- Different Technical Documents
- Advanced concepts with screen capturing tools
- Content Development
- Editing and Proofreading Techniques
- Cross-Functional Skills
- Business Communication
- API Documentation and DITA
- Email Etiquettes
- Resume Development
- Interview Skills and Assessment Session
This course includes access to all the reference materials and has practical assignments you get to do. After the course completion, you have to clear the examination to become a professional technical writer. This course is ideal for graduates, journalists, software developers, technical support staff, transcriptionists, and other working professionals who are looking for a career change.
Contact: 0120 428 9117, +91 78408 41999, info@informationdevelopers.in
Recommended Read: Technical Writing Courses in Mumbai
7. NanoScience and Technology Consortium
One of the most expensive technical writing courses is offered by the Nanoscience and Technology Consortium. The program offers specialties in technical writing, medical writing, instructional design, and content writing. The technical writing certificate program covers all the fundamental and advanced ideas, as well as the equipment, programs, and applications needed to streamline your workflow.
The Course Has 6 Modules. They Are:
Module 1: Introduction to the Writing Process and technical writing overview
Topics Covered:
- Primary Secondary Tertiary Documents
- Task Analysis
- Technical Writing Application
- Industries that Need Technical Writing
- Jobs Positions
- Web Resources
- Audience Analysis
- Strategies For Proofreading
Module 2: Usage of English in the Technical Writing Domain
Topics Covered:
- Grammar And Punctuation
- Word Choice, Phrases
- Text Types
- Sentences And Paragraphs
- Using The Proper Tools for Writing
Module 3: Layout Structure Description and Technical Writing Tools
Topics Covered:
- Letter Formats Types and Components
- Description and Structured layout
- Basics Of Business Letters
- MS Word Framemaker
- Adobe RoboHelp
- Framemaker
- MS Visio
Module 4: Covers the design aspects including headings, notices, and graphics
Module 5:
This is about ethics in technical writing documents that include user manuals, electronic mail, software requirements, and specifications.
Module 6: This final module is about the introduction to the Darwin Information Type Architecture (DITA) in technical editing. You get in-depth knowledge on concepts like content reuse and writing clear and useful procedures
Contact: 911204781230, 919958161117
Recommended Read: Technical Writing Courses in Kolkata
8. TechnoKraft
TehcnoKarft was established in the year 2003, and currently is a leading training hub offering training in technical writing and Instructional Design. Located in Bangalore, Technokraft imparts high-quality technical writing training and is the pioneer in India to provide classroom training in Instructional Design.
The mentors are well-qualified and experienced and offer valuable guidance to help students develop their skills. They are top-tier corporate training and placement providers as well. This course will help you to advance your visualization and designing skills and also to develop analytical thinking.
You will gain knowledge of the tools that are required for effective technical writing documentation. The resources that help to create a technical writing document are provided and you will have hands-on learning with that.
Topics Covered in Online Technical Writing Courses:
- Adobe FrameMaker
- RoboHelp
- MS Visual
- Snagit
- HTML
- XML
- Advanced MS Word
- Adobe Articulate
- Adobe Captivate
- Adobe Illustrator
- DITA
The curriculum is designed by expert technical writers in the industry. You also get study materials, assignments, and presentations. After the course completion, you will have to clear the examination to become a certified technical writer. They conduct mock interview sessions to improve your soft skills so that you give job interviews with confidence.
Contact: 919 845 316 974
FAQs About Online Technical Writing Courses
1. What does a technical writer do?
Technical Writers collect technical information from industry experts like software engineers, developers, medical personnel, and other experts and convert it to a technical document that is easily understandable to the readers or end users.
2. Is technical writing a prospective profession?
Technical writers are in high demand nowadays, because of the enormous increase in the need for technical documentation. They also receive competitive pay. Although successful writing is not difficult to perfect, it does require some amount of subject matter understanding.
3. Do I need any technical background to pursue this course?
The majority of technical writers start without any writing skills or technical background. If you enjoy writing in multiple languages, if you love technology and gadgets, or if you enjoy solving problems and learning how things operate, you should enroll in the course. More importantly, you should enroll in the course if you intend to pursue a career in technical writing.
Conclusion
You may learn everything you need to know about technical writing from a wide range of online programs and courses. Some of the courses are brief and free of cost. Others, however, offer a deep explanation of the full process of technical writing but are more expensive and take longer to complete. Similar to this, some are more appropriate for brand-new writers with no prior writing experience.
Others, though, are much more appropriate for seasoned writers. We have listed the best online technical writing courses that are available. Each of the courses is mentored by well-experienced and dedicated professionals and all these courses are best sellers, pursued by a lot of aspirants. Hope you found this article useful in finding the best online technical writing courses.