While I’ve been retired from this page for a bit, it’s nice to know that the content is still finding its designated audience. With the reader’s permission, I’ve reposted our recent correspondence, with a bit of editing here and there. Thanks for reading, Ruwa!

Hi Mr. Leahy, I found your website through my technical communications professor, who is trying to get us acquainted with the profession. After looking at your LinkedIn, I saw that you have extensive experience working as a technical writer for companies within the STEM field without a degree in the sciences. How difficult has it been, especially in recent years, to get a job in a STEM field without an education in the field? Also, what advice would you give to a soon-to-be English grad interested in entering a technical writing job in the STEM field?

My Response

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend the “Writing for NASA” tab on my blog. While some of the information might now be dated, the advice remains relatively germane: You need to demonstrate in some way (blogging, articles*, academic samples) that you can write about the STEM topic of your choice. Not sure what your preferred industry is, but it’s good to familiarize yourself with the important players and issues in that field. If anything, you could start a blog writing your observations and reactions to what’s going on in your industry/field of choice. Dig deeply, learn the vocabulary and acronyms. Learn what the tools are for people practicing in the field. What are they trying to accomplish? Who stands to gain/lose if certain parties get their way? One thing I’ve learned about the space industry is that where you stand (on issues) depends on where you sit (as an employee). You get a really different perspective on the space biz depending on whether you work in a commercial environment vs. a government contractor position, so it’s good to keep your mind open and be willing to learn how X problem is perceived by this type of organization vs. another type.

(* One thing I forgot to suggest: volunteer/nonprofit advocacy organizations often need to update their website content, so this is a good way to get experience writing about your topic/industry of choice. In my case, I started by writing book reviews and articles for the National Space Society. Downside: you’ll probably need to find a day job and do the volunteer work on the side.)

As far as your question about how difficult it is for me to find work, my answer wouldn’t be very useful to you because I’ve been a technical writer for 25 years and a space writer for 20. I have a large body of work and a large network of people who know my work habits and know my personality. People know I can do the job because I’ve proven it. I don’t know how people fresh out of college are dealing with the job market, but businesses in every industry still need good writers! I know that sounds sort of chicken-and-the-egg like, and I apologize. To be honest, to help my career along, I went back and got some more formal education, first in science/engineering, then settled on a master’s degree in technical writing to prove to space companies that I had the skill set to do the work. Academic learning at least exposed me to report writing, proposal writing, business correspondence, etc. Have you taken a business/tech writing course or two?

And while it’s a shameless plug, you can also have a look at my book for insights on the types of writing you might need to do. I cover the “P’s” in that book: Products, Process, People, Politics (What types of products am I expected to produce? How does that work get done? Who do I need to interact with to get the work done? What sensitivities affect the content of what I write or how I get things done?). Some of those you learn on the job, but the book at least covers the Products.