2024 Technical Writing: The Journey from Documentation Specialist to Everything-ist
So, let's talk expectations for a second. You know, your title says Technical Writer, but somehow your day-to-day looks something like this: UX writer, SDK and API documenter, marketing expert, emdash enthusiast, content strategist, and my personal favorite, go-to "Hey, can you fix my resume?" person. I mean, quite honestly, just talking about this is exhausting.
In a world where companies are tightening their budgets while simultaneously stretching job roles like overworked elastic bands, the message to technical writers is clear:
Do more. Do it faster. And by the way—just use AI.
Less Pay, More “Hats”
These days, job descriptions for technical writers are starting to look more like a Swiss Army knife than a clear, focused role. It’s no longer just “Write technical documentation.” Now it’s “Can you do UX? Oh, and marketing too. And hey, while you’re at it, fix our release notes and maybe sprinkle in some content strategy.” It’s like companies think they’ve hit the jackpot by cramming five jobs into one paycheck.
But here’s the thing: when you overextend a technical writer, you’re not saving money. You’re setting the stage for long-term chaos.
Expecting technical writers to juggle documentation, UX, marketing, and more is like asking a surgeon to also manage the hospital’s finances and design its website. It’s inefficient, unsustainable, and bound to end badly.
Why Overloading Writers is a Recipe for Disaster
When you pile too much on one person’s plate, the quality of everything suffers.
Imagine this: You’re cooking a full five-course meal all by yourself—for a party of 50. There’s soup, salad, steak, dessert, and because you apparently hate yourself, you’ve decided to add a soufflé. Technically, sure, you can pull it off. But what happens? You’re running between pots, forgetting the salt in the soup, and by the time you get to the soufflé, it’s sunken, it’s burnt, and the steak? It tastes like shoe leather.
The same happens with writing. When one person tries to write UX content and a marketing campaign and comprehensive documentation, the output is stretched too thin.
Burnout is real, and no one—not even the most capable technical writer—can consistently deliver their best work when they’re drowning in unrealistic expectations.
“Just Use AI!” The Great Misconception
This is where AI comes in. Along with our favorite emdashes.
Don’t get me wrong, I love AI. I’ve written about it before. AI is like a hungry toddler: brilliant, fascinating, but demanding. You can’t just throw your documentation needs at ChatGPT and expect a miracle. AI needs to be fed—constantly.
And let me tell you, feeding AI is not a one-time thing. If you miss something or mess up a detail, AI gets lazy and cranky. It does just enough to make you happy, but here’s the kicker: it might be wrong. It could give you misinformation, an inconsistent tone, or the kind of robotic writing that makes your readers think: Was this written by a person… or autocorrect on caffeine?
AI can help, but it cannot replace the human touch. A technical writer does so much more than “just write”:
领英推荐
AI doesn’t do that. Not yet.
The Long-Term Impact of Overworking Technical Writers
Skipping documentation or forcing technical writers into a dozen different roles might feel like a quick win today. You’re saving money! You’re being efficient! But eventually, those cracks start to show:
And then what? You’re left scrambling to fix the gaps.
Documentation isn’t just a box to tick; it’s the backbone of user success. When writers are stretched thin across multiple roles, the quality of that backbone weakens, risking customer satisfaction and company credibility.
So, What Needs to Change?
The Bottom Line
Expecting technical writers to do everything, and then handing them AI as a Band-Aid, will hurt more than it helps.
AI can’t replace the human touch, and writers who are spread too thin will burn out. If you want high-quality documentation (and believe me, you do), you need to invest in your writers. Recognize them. Support them. Give them the space to do what they do best.
Because trust me—when you overfeed that AI toddler and abandon the human touch? You’re left with cranky output and chaos.
Sources:
What do you think? Have you felt this shift in expectations as a technical writer? Let me know ???? I’d love to hear how you’re navigating this new landscape.
#TechnicalWriting #AIInWorkplace #BurnoutPrevention #DocumentationMatters
SR Technical Writer | Training & Development
2 个月Excellent article that succinctly describes the challenges of many tech writers. Thankfully, I survived those tough years!
Sr. Specialist - Technical Project Management at AT&T
2 个月I agree with what you’ve stated. My experience is that people want everything while dismissing your actual expertise. I hear “Make it pretty” by people who think that typing is the same as writing. They usually have not allowed enough time for thorough writing, formatting, and editing because they don’t understand what actually happens during this phase of document development.?
Technical Communication Office Director at SoftServe | Expert in effective user assistance & technical documentation for software products | 15+ years bridging technology and users
2 个月Shay Adler, your thoughts resonate with me! As a technical writer for nearly two decades, I've observed many changes in the field. To be honest, I often look for such multi-skilled writers for my team, too.?And, if people are happy to wear multiple hats, why not :)
Technical Writer @ Backbase
2 个月Yes. But at times like that I would just channel my spirit animal, Tina.
Expert editor and technical writer
2 个月Content becomes messy. True! The writer may miss subtleties such as capitalizing small verbs (such as “is”) in headings and subjeadings. Inconsistencies and duplication will reign. Multiple, possibly conflicting topics will appear on the web site. Users will become increasingly confused. However, *none* of this matters: has anyone refused to buy software or equipment only because the documentation was poor? (Apparently not.) Ever since return on investment (ROI) became the only consideration, executives have merged the worker-bee roles.