A college degree in English, journalism, fine arts, or even technical communication does not a technical writer make. That may not seem to ring true, but spending any time at all out there in the field will quickly demonstrate the veracity of the statement. A degree is probably of greatest benefit in gaining access for an interview, and, later, in negotiating salary or bill rate although other factors will be operative in this area too. In my experience, it seems some of the truly talented technical writers I've encountered come from the engineering and marketing fields, and there have been a few 're-engineered' programmers that made the transition too. The key rests in an ability to explain technical material and processes in a concise, descriptive way, using non-technical language and eliminating the jargon. I think it's important to have a special interest or skill in writing, enjoy the writing process. Being a good wordsmith and editor certainly helps too, as does a strong vocabulary.

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