Technical writing as a skill I learned on the side — and how it changed my career

by Janet Lau·May 25, 2026

I'm a software engineer. I started learning technical writing as a side project after being frustrated by poor documentation I had to work with. Two years later it's become a meaningful part of my professional identity.

What technical writing actually means:
Writing that explains technical information accurately and accessibly to a specific audience. API documentation, user guides, internal runbooks, product changelogs.

How I learned:
- "Docs Like Code" and "Every Page Is Page One" (books)
- Writing documentation for open source projects I used — real practice with real feedback
- The Google Technical Writing courses (free on developers.google.com)

How it changed my career:
- I became the person who "gets documentation right" — rare in engineering teams
- I can communicate design decisions to non-engineering stakeholders more effectively
- My PRs get approved faster because my descriptions are clear
- Got invited to lead documentation efforts on a product that wasn't even mine

#technical-writing#documentation#career#skills#writing

Comments (6)

Eliza Khoo16

Toxic job signs during interview: the hiring manager bad-mouths previous employees, can't explain the role clearly, or seems to be selling too hard on culture.

Norzahariah Md11

I left an offer on the table because the contract had a 3-month notice period with no buyout clause. Two months later, I found a better offer. Patience is a job search skill.

Faris Izham13

Non-compete clauses in Malaysian employment contracts are often unenforceable but still create anxiety. Get a lawyer to review before signing if you're in a niche field.