Now that I’m a college senior, I’ve been answering more and more questions about my post-graduation career plans. Thankfully, I’ve found a solid answer. But when I tell people I want to be a “technical writer,” I get lots of different reactions, from “that sounds boring,” to “what is that?” to “Hey, that’s an actual job!” So to explain the reasoning behind my choice more clearly, I compiled a list of reasons I believe my skills and interests are relevant to the role of the technical writer.

Before I begin, I must add that there’s so much more I need to learn about the technical communications field. I’m also keeping an open mind about my career options (marketing is also a good choice). But it’s nice to leave college with a fully articulated goal. So here goes:1. I’m willing to write every day.
2. I like writing about technology.
3. I enjoy designing documents.
4. I edit and revise people’s writing for fun.
5. I juggle multiple writing projects on a daily basis.
6. I currently work as a technical writer, and I don’t hate it.
7. I write website content and promotional documents.
8. I write for this blog.
9. I enjoy peppering engineers with questions. “Explain this to me. How does that work?”
10. I’ve considered a career in tech journalism.
11. I’m a multimedia journalist.
12. Technical writers serve as bridges between the tech and non-tech world. I like being a bridge.
13. If I could redo college, I would pursue a technical degree along with my liberal arts degree.
14. I enjoy taking computer science courses at Berkeley.
15. I show up to many random campus tech-related events.
16. Technical writing is practical.
17. I document every day of my life.
18. When my brother built a display board for his Eagle Scout project, I documented the process for fun.
19. I enjoy surprising people when I introduce myself as a writer at tech events.
20. Technical writers translate computer speak to plain English. I like translation.
21. I’ve tutored students in math, science, English, and music. I’ve simplified scientific concepts for ESL students.
22. I manage a website.
23. I work with content management systems.
24. I enjoy graphic design.
25. I like making infographics. I’ve published a few in newspapers.
26. I shoot and edit decent video.
27. I shoot decent photos.
28. I live in the Silicon Valley, where many people I know are engineers.
29. I don’t want to be a starving artist.
30. I treat my writing like code (blog post for later).
31. I study strategies to improve my writing.
32. I enjoy working on projects with small teams.
33. I like learning new programming languages.
34. I’m a Comparative Literature and Music double major.
35. I learn quickly.
36. I want to learn everything I can about everything.