Technical writing is not new, it’s been in existence for many years and has risen to prominence during and after World War II. The recent growth in technology and its users has prompted a high rise in demand. Wondering if, how, and where you should be pursuing technical writing courses in Dubai? This article will help you decide on those and probably answer many more questions that may flash across the mind.
The necessity to communicate difficult and complex information to the intended audience in an easy way requires a lot of skill. The skill level should be a notch higher when the information is disbursed through writing.
What is Technical Writing?
- Technical writing may be defined as a sub-domain of the writing field where the written content focuses on providing detailed information on complex matters in a lucid way.
- The best example that may be given could be the product manual of technical gadgets like mobile phones, voice recorders, television sets, etc.
- Technical writing is not just limited to writing manuals, it covers even writing product specifications, a detailed write-up on the procedure to conduct a particular operation, description of products, reports, press releases, memos, etc.
- The ability to convert complex information to simple non-technical format through writing differentiates technical writing from other writing domains like content writing, business writing, etc.
- Technical writing should not be too technical in terms of word usage or phrases formed.
Eligibility To Pursue Technical Writing
- As such when it comes to writing jobs, qualifications do not play a major role. It is the skill of the writer that is more important. But in the field of technical writing, the scenario is slightly different.
- When it comes to companies hiring technical writers, they will prefer candidates with relevant background qualifications.
- For example, consider a company specializing in the field of application development for mobile phones. When a procedure to develop the application or manual to utilize the application is to be written, a person with a computer science background in education or a person with relevant experience in the field of application development will be able to write the required procedure or manual in detail compared to others. This is because of his understanding of the intricacies and difficulties of the technical aspects involved in the application.
- Nonetheless, people with no technical background but a passion for a particular technical field can start as freelancers and after building a solid portfolio, can start approaching companies for assignments.
Salary for Technical Writers in Dubai
- After completing technical writing courses in Dubai, the first objective would be to get a job. But does the job provide the expected salary? Let us see.
- According to payscale.com, for a fresher or slightly experienced person say an experience of 1 – 4 years, the average salary is around AED 49,132.
- For people with experience of 5 to 9 years, the average salary including all compensations is around AED 100,329.
- For an experienced technical writer with more than 10 years, the average salary which would include all compensations would be around AED 180,000.
- A person can also start working as a freelance consultant with a regular job if the company policies permit them to do so. This would provide an additional source of income to the salary.
Essential Skills Required for a Technical Writer
Technical writers should possess certain skills, some of which are essential for any writer. But some skills are unique to technical writing. A few of those essential skills are detailed below:
- Clear Understanding – When writing about a product or a process, the writer should have a clear and detailed understanding of the topic on which the writing is carried. Unless the writer is aware of all the intricacies involved in the product or a process, the writing cannot provide all the required details.
- User-targeted Writing Skills – Technical writing will always be for providing an easier understanding of the complex technical aspects. Hence, the intended readers to whom the document is being written should be clearly understood. For example, when providing information on mobile phone software to laymen, very little technical content can be included in the document. Whereas, when the same is being documented for a software developer, providing details on the technical aspects of the software becomes necessary.
- Research Skills – A thorough research on the topic on which the writing is based is essential in any type of writing. This becomes even more essential when trying to detail the technical aspects of the product/process. The more research one does, the better would be the outcome of the article.
- Team Work and Interpersonal Skills – A technical document would require one to communicate with many people and work in groups. People with good team working capabilities would be able to communicate effectively with others in extracting the information required for the preparation of documents.
- Good Understanding of Technical Writing Tools – Unlike a novel or a story, technical writing involves the explanation of different locations in a product or different steps of a process. Knowledge of incorporating graphs and diagrams, and providing proper relevant details in the included pictorial supports play an important role in the preparation of good technical documents. Hence fluency in the usage of tools related to tabulation, graphs, and diagrams will prove to be beneficial in the preparation of technical documents.
Resources To Pursue Technical Writing Courses in Dubai
- Technical writing courses can be either pursued online or through on-campus classes.
- It finally comes down to the pursuer as to which mode is more convenient to pursue. If you are a working professional trying to transition into the world of technical writing, then online courses are more suited. If you are yet to begin a career or take a break from your routine work, then classes conducted online would be more suited.
- On-campus training courses are scarce in Dubai and Online classes offer their unique advantage by providing access and interaction with experts across the globe. Some of them are listed in this article.
Check here the other best courses in Dubai:
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Top 5 Technical Writing Courses in Dubai
1. Technical Writing Master Course – IIM SKILLS
This is one of the most popular and genuinely good Technical Writing Courses available online. The course is designed for 5 weeks and includes live online teaching sessions. A total of 20 hours of lectures will be conducted during the course. The course materials are aligned with Google, and internship opportunities will be provided.
More than sixty hours of practical assignments will be given which will help the learners to hone the skills learned during the five-week course. The course curriculum includes sessions on technical report writing, Journal/White Paper writing, API – Applicable Programming Interface documentation, Conversational writing, Medical writing, etc.
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The course will also help one learn tools like MS Visio, MS Project, GIT, Scribus, Canva, MS PowerPoint, etc. Some of the highlights of the course include:
- A guaranteed internship for 1 month
- Lifetime support with respect to consulting and support
- Lifetime access to course content
- Completely tools-driven course
- Assistance in building a portfolio for either a job or freelance work.
- Assistance in publishing a scholarly article or book chapter
- Assistance in publishing a first white paper
- Assistance and support in publishing one technical blog in renowned Times of India Blogs.
- Classes are available on Weekdays (Tuesdays and Thursdays) or on Weekends (Sundays)
- A graduate in any discipline can take up the course
- Good communication skills and basic internet knowledge are required.
- Placement support will be provided to all interested learners.
- Certification after successfully completing the course.
- The course fee is only AED 676 plus taxes, making it the best value-for-money online course.
2. Certified Technical Writer – University of Dubai
This is a six-month course offered by the Centre of Executive Development wing of the University of Dubai. It is one of the best technical writing courses in Dubai with certification. The course is instructed by Janet Underwood and Lynn Atkinson.
Instructional material for the course will be provided after enrollment and three textbooks would be provided separately digitally. The course requires no prerequisites and it will prepare one to take up a job as a Technical writer.
Some of the Salient Features of the Course Include:
- Self-paced learning
- More than 125 hours of course learning
- The certificate will be provided after the successful completion of the course
- Guidance will also be provided towards preparing for Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC) conducted by Society For Technical Communicators (STC).
- The course can be completed in six months based on the calculated hours of completion. But an extension can be requested if unable to complete it in six months.
- The course instructor will be clearing all doubts through the mail, and occasional support from Industry experts and the student advising team will be provided.
- Financial assistance would be available if certain requirements are met.
- The course requires one to have a laptop or desktop with Windows 8 or higher OS, or a MacOS 10.10 or higher. Chrome and Firefox are the preferred browsers.
- Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat reader should be installed and working before the commencement of the course. Access to a personal email account is necessary.
- The course fee is AED 8063.
3. Essential Technical Writing Skills – Aztech Training
This is a training course designed for classroom learning and not online. The content of the training is planned for five days covering topics such as planning, proofreading, indexing, etc. The training is designed for working professionals who would like to improve upon their roles or want to improve their communication with managers or supervisors.
The Highlights of Undertaking This Course Include:
- It’s classroom training, so it fits well with people who are not inclined toward learning online.
- Exposure to the right tools and techniques to write proper, concise reports, documents, and summaries which are clear in understanding.
- Get introduced to a process of report writing in four steps, that will help in developing the right well-written reports that can be prepared on time.
- Awareness of the style of writing, using the right tone of voice and phrasing in reports.
- Proper guidance on strengths and weaknesses in your writing.
- It is a completely interactive, discussion and practical-oriented course.
- Regular batches throughout the year.
- Certification at the end of the course
- Short five-day course in comparison to all other available technical writing courses in Dubai.
- There is no restriction on education qualification to take up the course.
- The course Fee is AED 29,855/-
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4. Technical Writing Courses – Google
A collection of three courses offered free of cost by Google, these courses are primarily aimed at software engineers or computer science students who would like to become Technical writers at Google or similar companies. The courses require one to be fluent in English as the course does not deal with general English writing or business writing. Basic coding knowledge is also required, though one need not be an expert in coding.
The Three Courses Offered Are:
- Technical Writing One
- Technical Writing Two
- Tech Writing for Accessibility
All three courses consist of self-paced online pre-class materials and live interactive sessions with facilitators on a periodic basis. The schedule of live interactive classes will be notified. The introduction to topics is provided in the pre-class materials and the in-class sessions with the facilitators will help to practice the learned topics from pre-class.
Technical Writing One Covers the Following Topics
- Usage of terminologies in their abbreviated or acronym forms
- Recognition of pronouns that are ambiguous
- Differentiating active and passive voices and their conversion
- Identifying ways for active voice being superior to passive voice
- When to use bulleted lists and numbered list
- Strategies to shorten long sentences
- Strategies to improve sentences to be more engaging in clear in understanding
Technical Writing Two Covers the Following Topics
- Tactics to write first, second, and third drafts
- Techniques to find mistakes in self-written documents
- Tips on organizing large documents
- Writing clear figure captions
- Effective revision of technical illustrations
Technical Writing for Accessibility Covers Topics Related To:
- Inclusive design learning
- Writing helpful alternative texts for diagrams that are technical
- Selecting and checking proper color contrasts
- Detection of accessibility errors.
- Creating accessible diagrams
5. Certified Technical Writer – Technical Writer HQ
This online course is designed to help professionals to improve their skills or help newbies to work on their interest in technical writing. The Certified Technical Writer training provides the foundational knowledge required for the role of the technical writer, and also the necessary skills to succeed and get a higher salary.
A complete understanding of guiding projects related to technical writing and leading teams involved in technical writing will be gained by the end of the course. The course is instructed by Josh, who is the founder of Technical Writer HQ. He has vast experience of eight years in the field of technical writing.
He himself being a technical writer has written a lot of manuals, software tutorials, handbooks, white papers, etc. He is also the author of books related to software documentation and copywriting.
Key Features of the Course Include the Following –
- It is an online self-paced learning course. If 4 hours per week is dedicated to learning, then the entire course can be covered in 10 weeks duration.
- Lifetime access to course content, where new lessons which are regularly added can also be accessed.
- The course contains 95 video lessons, assignments, and quizzes as part of capstone projects
- More than 10 downloadable templates are available for learners.
- Interview with industry professionals working in the field of technical writing from reputed industries like Airbnb, Spotify, PlayStation, and oracle.
- Assistance in preparing for the interview process, where training will be provided towards answering most expected questions for a technical writer role.
- Instructor feedback for Capstone projects.
- Assistance towards building a complete technical writer portfolio.
- Certification of completion.
- Course fee AED 1099 /-.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is only people with technical backgrounds or education capable of taking up technical writing courses in Dubai?
There is no such rule that only people with technical education or people with technical backgrounds would be having opportunities in technical writing. But as there is a demand for understanding of the technical aspects of the product or a process which is being documented, hiring personnel will definitely prefer people with at least fundamental knowledge of the technical field in which the document is being prepared.
Hence along with writing skills, getting relevant knowledge of the technical aspects of the industry in which one is looking for work matters. Sometimes getting basic certifications relevant to tools being utilized in the company also helps.
2. Can a technical writer pursue other writing career options?
A good writer should not be restricted to only one form of writing. But since technical writing requires its own style which is very unique compared to novel writing, transitioning from one form of writing to other would be a challenge. Also, when working full-time for a firm, taking up tasks that are different from the ones assigned in the firm would not be feasible.
A freelance writer would stand a chance of taking multiple writing tasks that are not relevant to each other. It will finally come down to a person’s ability to switch between different styles of writing and also the amount of time one can dedicate to background research and interpersonal communications that one can do.
3. How are the job opportunities after pursuing technical writing courses in Dubai?
There are a lot of opportunities that can be looked for after successfully completing Technical Writing Courses in Dubai. Today’s technological advancement and people’s dependency on technical products have made documentation a basic necessity. Hence a Technical writer will always be in need. The number of opportunities depends on the region where you are situated. Regions with a high number of industries will always have more opportunities.
Remote working is also available, which will provide opportunities irrespective of geographic location. Taking up freelancing work is also an opportunity for interested people. Building a good portfolio will always help in obtaining better opportunities, be it for freelancing, remote working, or at the office.
4. Which technical writing courses in Dubai are better? Online or Offline?
Choosing technical writing courses in Dubai depends upon your convenience of commuting to offline courses, the affordability of fees, and other factors. Generally, online courses provide the comfort of learning from home, and that too at one’s own comfortable pace of learning. Access to recorded lectures in online courses will provide an opportunity to go through topics that were not listened to properly. Most online course providers also assist in placements.
Some of the online courses are free like the one from Google, and some are way more affordable compared to offline classes like the ones from IIM SKILLS and Technical Writer HQ. After the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of emphases throughout the globe is being provided on online learning and many industries look at online courses as being equivalent to offline courses. Hence, pursuing Technical Writing courses in Dubai through online mode is a good option.
Conclusion
Technical writing courses in Dubai are a well-sought option for a starting career or making the transition in a current role. The field of technical writing is going to stay for a long time since the dependency on technical products is only growing. The available resources for pursuing Technical writing courses in Dubai were detailed in this article highlighting the best options available.
Choosing courses with placement assistance is better for people looking for jobs as a fresher or trying to transition into technical writing roles. People working in the software industry trying to transition into writing roles can opt for Technical Writing courses offered by Google. Freelancing is an option for people trying to work from home or remotely. Technical Writing courses in Dubai offer opportunities for such potential freelancers.
Nonetheless, like any other writing course, a good hold of English and other languages in which the documentation is being planned is the basic necessity for becoming a Technical Writer. People who satisfy that basic necessity and interest in technical writing can later learn the technical fundamentals involved in the products or processes for which the documentation is being prepared.