Engineers Who Write: How to Make Money

[00PS]

I have been told by a few people that people that have a very good technichal knowledge (i.e. engineers) and can write well can make loads of money. I can't really find where the two paths intertwine. Can someone explain what they mean?

 

[MATLABdude]

I have been told by a few people that people that have a very good technichal knowledge (i.e. engineers) and can write well can make loads of money. I can't really find where the two paths intertwine. Can someone explain what they mean?

Writing (and communications in general) is an oft-overlooked, but important, part of the engineering profession. Being a good writer could get you anything from sales (selling your stuff), documentation writing (manuals, application notes, tutorials, etc.)--showing people how to use your stuff, to management (communicating with the people who work for / under you).

I'm not sure that documentation writing gets you boatloads of money, but management (and possibly sales) might.

Not that you should necessarily chase the dollar; if you've got talent somewhere and are willing to work hard and persevere at it, you can usually do pretty well for yourself.

 

[TMFKAN64]

I work in the computer industry. The most senior engineers here are often called upon to write design documents giving a high-level overview of the work to be done. Since these documents are typically referred to by many other engineers, they need to be clear, easily understood, and as unambiguous as possible, while simultaneously not getting bogged down in unnecessary details.

If you want to be one of these high-ranking, highly-paid engineers, learn to write.

(By the way, I'm not referring to myself here... I'm a peon at my company.)

 

[Topher925]

Writing (and communications in general) is an oft-overlooked, but important, part of the engineering profession.

Absolutely. Writing and communication skills are extremely important in the engineering world especially if you want to climb the totem pole in industry. Many times I have seen someone who is less qualified, skill and knowledge wise, get past up by jobs and promotions because they couldn't write or communicated well. Engineering isn't just crunching numbers. Its being able to convey your work and knowledge to other people clearly and concisely.