Skip to content
Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Technical Writers

Part of Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications, in the Journalism and Broadcasting pathway.

Job zone 4: considerable preparationO*NET 27-3042.00

What the work is

Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.

On a typical day

  • Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.
  • Maintain records and files of work and revisions.
  • Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.
  • Confer with customer representatives, vendors, plant executives, or publisher to establish technical specifications and to determine subject material to be developed for publication.
  • Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding.
  • Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material.

What it pays

$82,520
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $52,940
Experienced workers reach $114,190
  1. $53k10th
  2. $64k25th
  3. $83kMedian
  4. $108k75th
  5. $114k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $52,940, 25th $63,720, Median $82,520, 75th $108,220, 90th $114,190

About 250 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

+13.1%

employment change in the Alamo region, 236 to 267 jobs · U.S. +1%

23

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 4,500

236

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 56,400

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree · Experience: Less than 5 years · Training: Short-term on-the-job training

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Writing5.0
  2. Reading Comprehension4.9
  3. Active Listening3.9
  4. Speaking3.8
  5. Critical Thinking3.9
  6. Active Learning3.6
  7. Judgment and Decision Making3.0
  8. Time Management3.0

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. Certificate7%
  2. Some college16%
  3. Associate degree35%
  4. Bachelor's degree36%
  5. Master's degree5%
  6. Doctoral or professional1%

Job zone 4, considerable preparation: Usually a bachelor's degree, sometimes a strong associate plus experience.

Alamo programs that lead here

No Alamo program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.

Browse all programs

Does this fit you?

Six questions rank every career here by how closely its interest profile follows yours.

Check my interests
  1. Document Management Specialists

    Zone 46 Alamo programs Bright outlook

    $110kSan Antonio median
  2. Editors

    Zone 46 Alamo programs

    $60kSan Antonio median
  3. Project Management Specialists

    Zone 49 Alamo programs Bright outlook

    $92kSan Antonio median
  4. Management Analysts

    Zone 49 Alamo programs Bright outlook

    $96kSan Antonio median
  5. Clinical Data Managers

    Zone 413 Alamo programs Bright outlook

    $103kSan Antonio median
  6. Social Science Research Assistants

    Zone 419 Alamo programs Bright outlook

    $68kSan Antonio median
  7. Proofreaders and Copy Markers

    Zone 46 Alamo programs

    $42kTexas median
  8. Data Scientists

    Zone 413 Alamo programs Bright outlook

    $103kSan Antonio median