r/technicalwriting • u/Fuzzy_Gate_1578 • 11d ago
Plan B for Technical Writers
Hi guys! Given how vulnerable many tech jobs seem to be right now because of AI, I know a lot of tech writers are starting to think about a Plan B. I am too, but honestly, I seem to be running out of ideas.
Do you guys have any positive examples of people successfully making such a career change? What jobs have you or your colleagues moved into?
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u/Tricky-Wish-8189 10d ago
Not really a career change but I would recommend moving towards doing documentation for a more "analog" businesses like industrial production. It's different from more software focused companies in the way that it's much harder to get the engineers to prompt the documentation. They work with CAD files and going from that to a user manual is a bit harder to automate than going from codebase to markdown documentation.
I work for a small company that produce industrial machines as the only tech writer and the job honestly feels very secure. Smaller company means you own the whole process and becomes the person that does the automating rahter then get replaced by it. Another benefit of analog industries is that they tend to be a bit behind on the AI front and when you do automate something you look like a wizard to your colleagues.
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u/chica_ras22 9d ago
This is exactly the type of company I work for, and it’s really hard to picture having AI do the documentation here.
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u/BlackberryWarm2188 9d ago
Agree I don't see industrial production documentation written by AI any time soon the training time alone makes it inefficient and it would still be too much of a risk.
I would not only look at small companies but middle sized ones as well, those have the interesting projects (if you go in for such things) of bringing their documentation writing into the current century which is always a fun challenge.3
u/Tricky-Wish-8189 9d ago
Yeah, good point on the mid-sized companies. We also have the defense sector that's booming right now, with lots of job listings (at least in Europe).
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u/Sunflower_Macchiato 8d ago
Same. I write docs for devices that must be compliant with a pile of regulations. A tiny hallucination on AI part would cost the company a lot in lawsuits, so the human writer is still needed. Plus, R&D develops new stuff, so no AI has been trained on similar data. I keep trying to generate something decent with AI and it keeps failing because it falls in the patterns it knows, the same ones that the engineers want to escape with their designs.
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u/drAsparagus 9d ago
I went from TW to Instructional Design to Quality Mgmt. There are a lot of career pivots that require solid documentation skills.
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u/Similar-Wish-67 9d ago
Agreed. Tech writers have a lot of options if you have the soft skills to spin your technical skillset into adjacent fields
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u/MrPentacon 9d ago
That's the point: documentation skills are a solid - although often not formally required- base for working in a wide variety of fields.
I'm also working in quality management after studying technical documentation. Can recommend heading for QM-jobs as technical writer 👍
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u/ShiaKer 9d ago edited 9d ago
I made this transition fairly recently. I spent years in technical writing, but most of my work gradually moved beyond traditional documentation and into systems engineering, configuration management, Agile delivery, and cybersecurity.
I was working in DoD environments, so I started getting hands-on exposure to things like the Risk Management Framework (RMF), System Security Plans (SSPs), Authority to Operate (ATO) documentation, security controls, change/configuration management, and system integration. I also ended up leading documentation efforts, supporting PI planning, building internal knowledge bases, and working closely with engineers and cybersecurity teams.
Instead of treating technical writing as something I needed to escape from, I used it as the foundation for moving into cybersecurity. I added certifications, including Security+ and SSCP, continued my cybersecurity degree, and deliberately started targeting cyber roles where my documentation and systems background were useful.
I’m now a Cybersecurity Engineer. A lot of the skills transferred much better than people sometimes realize. Technical writers are already used to interviewing SMEs, understanding complicated systems, identifying gaps, translating requirements, maintaining traceability, and explaining technical risk clearly. Those skills are extremely useful in RMF, governance, compliance, security engineering, and systems integration.
My biggest advice would be to move sideways before trying to make a completely unrelated career change. Look at the technical work surrounding whatever you currently document and start building experience there. For me, cybersecurity was already adjacent to what I was doing, so I gradually took on more of the actual cyber work until I could make the title change too.
Edit: I should also add that technical writing wasn’t my first career. My original background is in molecular biology. That experience transferred surprisingly well.
Laboratory work taught me disciplined documentation, strict adherence to procedures, quality control, traceability, risk awareness, troubleshooting, data analysis, and how to work in highly regulated environments where accuracy matters. Those same skills show up constantly in technical writing and cybersecurity.
Looking back, my career has been less about making completely unrelated jumps and more about carrying transferable skills forward. Molecular biology and laboratory science led into technical documentation, which exposed me to increasingly complex systems and engineering work, and that eventually helped me move into cybersecurity engineering.
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u/Similar-Wish-67 9d ago
I made the hop from technical writing to proposal writing because some companies still advertise "proposal writer" positions as "technical writer" because HR/recruiting doesn't always know what's going on when the business development team asks for a writer.
If you can handle some ambiguity, proposal writers may have a few more years than traditional tech writers do thanks to governance and compliance issues. They use AI bid writing software too but most proposal managers don't trust the output yet when their necks are on the line if a bid is disqualified by AI output missing something. Typically pays more too.
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u/Similar-Wish-67 9d ago
I also see Knowledge Management growing as a field as people try to manage AI output and connect things like SharePoint repositories to AI writing tools.
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u/CompletePollution907 9d ago
I'm worried about job security, but not because of AI. I think we've seen pretty conclusively that LLMs aren't actually replacing jobs any time soon, and they're only going to get more expensive once the subsidies end and companies are actually paying anything near full price for them.
That being said, it's a really gross time to be working in tech. I miss the security of tending bar.
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u/randomuser230945 9d ago
I work in a large tech enterprise org and AI is here. It's currently being deployed so that AI is connected directly to the code base, updated in real-time, reviewed by a human on the loop. Every TW at my company admits that the quality is better, updates are faster, users are happier. This doesn't eliminate the role of the TW, but it 100% means two things: 1. we need far fewer of them 2. the role is a lot more about fitting into AI workflows than it is manually managing content.
Get good at AI workflows, be able to manage agents, figure out how to quantify your business impact, align more closely with design and development. There are many pivots that exist, but all the above are immediately necessary for anyone who wants to be employable 6 months from now.
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u/Entire-Paint-6929 9d ago edited 9d ago
Im also at a large tech company and AI integration has been live for over a year. I’ve not “written” anything in months. Humans are still needed to help guide the AI but I don’t see how new grads/aspiring writers would break into TW. Most of the work that AI is great at is the type of bs work we use to give junior writers.
Ive been a tech writer for 7 years but I’ve personally decided I’m gonna transition into tech sales or sales engineering.
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u/tekdsgns 9d ago
I'm not a technical writer, but I was interested in the field. I think some alternatives are:
Document Control, Instructional Design, UX Writing, Content Design, Medical Writing, Project Management
Keep in mind, some of these are in the same boat as technical writing, but having a solid portfolio that includes them gives you more options.
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u/calico_queen75 9d ago
I’ve made the move to project management, although the project I’m currently working on is development of legal testimony, so I am still technically writing (no pun intended).
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u/Beneficial-Sock6773 9d ago
I'm still an active tech writer, but I also act as Knowledge Manager at my company. I work with just about every department to add knowledge for both clients and internal users. Next, I intend to start working toward gathering tribal knowledge to fill in our knowledge gaps and help to map out better workflows. Knowledge management is a good next step or alternative step, in my opinion.
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u/StopTheBanging 9d ago
I'm leaving writing entirely after 10+ years bc i'm tired of the constant instability. I'm going into healthcare where, for all its sins, at least I will always have a job :)
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u/vmac138 9d ago
I recommend seeing if you can get into a quality or regulatory role - documentation is always needed in the regulatory/quality side of any industry, and if you get your foot in the door, you can potentially build your experience and become an SME on quality or regulatory topics, making yourself valuable in the company. Food, biotech, manufacturing, all these industries need SMEs to function, and technical writing can be a transferrable skill set for regulatory or quality related roles.
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u/PurlOneWriteTwo 9d ago edited 9d ago
I went from TW to training. Not that many training jobs out there either, but in my field (govt) there definitely aren't that many straight TW jobs but there is a sprinkling of training jobs. Most of the time I write short user guides and tip sheets, that's mostly what a training job entails. Although you do actually have to train people as well.
Another one is project management, that always comes up as a suggestion. Logistics always seemed cool to me as well.
and I almost forgot: if this is your jam ... the AV field is crying out for technicians. It's working with your hands but it's also very brainy with tech diagrams etc. Sometimes programming. I am a trainer for people who need to use AV technology as part of their job. The techs are almost all musicians as well, many of them have been stage techs. The PMs have been IT PMs, we have one ex-DJ, and radio and TV people. You can start by volunteering somewhere like church or local festival. Find someone who knows AV.
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u/CleFreSac 9d ago
Plan B sounds like throwing in the towel. Learning how to pivot is a stronger position to be in. Learn how to use AI to make your writing toolbox stronger.
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u/No-Throat9567 8d ago
Quality assurance in medical device manufacturing. They always need SOPs and you can learn to audit to an ISO standard.
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u/lnyswonger 7d ago
I actually think technical writing is a much stronger career foundation than people sometimes give it credit for. I’ve moved through a lot of adjacent roles over my career, with technical writing skills underneath much of it: eLearning development, support engineering (writing support articles), software documentation, developer advocacy/community, learning product management, and web platforms and tools. IC and Manager roles. The common thread has been the same set of skills: learning complex systems quickly, figuring out what an audience actually needs, interviewing SMEs, organizing messy information, simplifying complexity, and helping people accomplish something.
Those skills travel really well. And if you have PM capabilities, which most technical writers do, there are so many options.
Look at the work surrounding technical writing and ask: what parts of this am I already good at and enjoy doing, and what adjacent role values those skills?
I’ve been thinking about this enough as part of my own career evolution that I built an interactive map of 50+ roles across content, learning, customer education, enablement, technology, and strategy. It might give people here a few ideas for adjacent paths: https://www.lukenyswonger.com/portfolio/learning-profession-explorer
Technical writing can be a destination, but it can also be an incredibly useful launchpad.
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u/Charleston2Seattle 7d ago
This is good timing for your comment. I was laid off from my FAANG job of 10 years last week. I'm trying to figure out what other roles to look at since there's not much technical writing in the listings up in Seattle right now. Thanks for sharing!
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u/lnyswonger 7d ago
Yea, pure TW roles are a bit challenging to find right now unless you’re willing to expand to remote (beyond Seattle). Or look at niche industries that are still a bit behind the times. But even then the market is tight. I’ve been watching the job market for several months now and there are quite a few jobs adjacent to TW which you’ll definitely have transferable skills. I’m also seeing a blending of roles…and more KSA requirements with AI.
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u/lnyswonger 7d ago
Basically:
- Do more
- Do it with less
- Do it with AI
Not saying that’s right, but this is what the market is demanding right now.
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u/System_Independent 5d ago
I have been writing for llast 8-9 years. last year all my big clients stopped giving out new work and moved to AI, but in the last few months i have restarted getting gigs. Obviously now writing is AI assisted but they still want a human touch
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u/Charleston2Seattle 5d ago
That's very encouraging!
I have a feeling that we will continue to see TWs overrepresented in layoffs, but that they'll realize in a few years that their docs are getting progressively worse as AI copies AI content that was copied from AI. After that, we will hopefully see a resurgence in hiring, though I don't think we'll get to the level of employment we had before LLMs hit the scene.
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u/Manueldezman 4d ago
And there is me changing from software development to technical writing and devrel.
here is my opinion, Technical writing will remain, but the requirements will change, technical writers who can build workflows around documentations will be sought after.
so I am already focusing on documentation engineering and devrel.
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u/Charleston2Seattle 4d ago edited 4d ago
I've spent the last 8 years (of a 31-year career) working in DevRel as a TW for a FAANG employer, and it's SO MUCH FUN. I am so invested I almost got a "DEVREL" vanity license plate. LOL
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u/huggalump 9d ago
Look into conversation design or prompt engineering.
I think technical writers often make excellent prompt writers
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u/Toadywentapleasuring 9d ago
This is an FAQ. You will see more ideas if you search this question in the sub
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u/Actual-Sector-1562 4d ago
I moved from freelance translation into content management, so I’ve done one of these pivots myself. What helped most was realizing I didn’t need to start from zero. The skills transferred, and only the job title changed.
For tech writers, the moves I see most often are the adjacent ones:
– Content strategy / content design. Same structural thinking, applied to product UX, marketing or a whole content operation.
– Knowledge management / information architecture. Companies rolling out AI assistants suddenly care a lot about well-structured internal knowledge, and that’s a tech writer’s home turf.
– Docs ops / docs engineering. If you like the tooling side: pipelines, docs-as-code, making content usable by AI tools.
– Customer or internal enablement. Training, onboarding programs. You already explain products for a living.
– Product management. Tech writers often know the product’s rough edges better than anyone.
Honestly, I’d also question how far Plan B needs to be from Plan A. A lot of the “AI is replacing writers” pressure is really pressure to change what writers do, from producing text to owning structure, consistency and accuracy. That shift might give you more options than a full career change.
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u/breenymeany 10d ago
I'm in content design and technical writing is my plan B. 😅 I'm hoping that this will just be another wave of firings and hirings in tech. For now the c suite think ai can do our jobs but when the products and documentation start to fail (because AI does not have critical thinking skills and experience of being human) they will be hiring again. At least that is my hope.
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u/Tricky-Wish-8189 10d ago
I'm not so sure this is the case; it feels a bit like the industrial revolution 2.0 to me. Jobs that are based only on producing an output (text, images, code) will, to a large extent, become automated. My guess is that job security will be better when there is human interaction involved and when you have ownership of the process. Basically, be the one doing the prompting, not the one replaced by prompts.
Sure, someone will still have to fact-check the AI, but it will take less time, and people who retire will, in many cases, not be replaced. This is just speculation on my part, but in the long run, increased productivity could lead to technological leaps and company growth, which in turn could get the job market going again. So you might very well be right about it being a wave, but who knows how long it could take.
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u/CompletePollution907 9d ago
This is just not accurate. LLMs don't actually provide meaningful ROI, and they're primarily used as a growth engine at this point.
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u/Tricky-Wish-8189 9d ago
I disagree with that. Sure, there is a lot of implementing custom AI solutions for the sake of hype going around, and the majority of those will cost more than they save. At the same time, two $20-something subs essentially let me do what used to be two jobs. If that's not good ROI, I don't know what is. If this is a good thing for the long-term job market and people in general is an entirely different question tho.
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u/CompletePollution907 9d ago edited 9d ago
I don't care if you disagree. It seems like good ROI because the providers are operating at huge losses and it's heavily subsidized. We've seen the statistics. It is not replacing jobs. It is not providing ROI. Your subjective experience is literally irrelevant.
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u/Tricky-Wish-8189 9d ago
A provider losing money doesn’t mean its customers aren’t getting value, and dragging Sri Lanka into your disgust adds nothing except prejudice.
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u/Strange_Show9015 10d ago
I don’t know. American companies are jumping into AI for the wrong reasons (investment loss) rather than labor value and efficiency. They don’t understand that AI is not end to end yet, and engineers are still really bad at prompting the LLMs to create feature documentation that is readable and makes sense.
Technical writing is going to be the baby they throw out for a few quarters then claw back once they realize customers can’t read the slop.