Search results

Results for My 10 Technical Writing Stereotypes Survey

by Tom Johnson on Oct 8, 2008
categories: technical-writing

Nearly two weeks ago I posted a survey about 10 technical writing stereotypes. 221 people participated in the survey. The results are below.

1. Technical writing is boring.

Generally True: 7%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 46%
Generally False: 47%

2. Technical writing stifles your creativity.

Generally True: 10%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 32%
Generally False: 58%

3. You do a lot of writing as a technical writer.

Generally True: 12%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 47%
Generally False: 41%

4. You need a job in technical communication to get a job in technical communication.

Generally True: 23%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 41%
Generally False: 36%

5. Technical writers are second-class citizens in IT departments.

Generally True: 28%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 47%
Generally False: 25%

6. Technical writers feel as if they've sold out.

Generally True: 6%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 23%
Generally False: 71%

7. You can easily support a family with other writing careers outside of technical writing.

Generally True: 17%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 41%
Generally False: 42%

8. You have to know a lot of tools to break into technical communication.

Generally True: 26%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 43%
Generally False: 31%

9. Technical writers are introverted, isolated, boring geeks.

Generally True: 7%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 38%
Generally False: 55%

10. Because IT technologies change so frequently, you have to spend large amounts of your spare time just keeping up with what's new.

Generally True: 16%
Sometimes True, Sometimes False: 35%
Generally False: 48%

About Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my API documentation course if you're looking for more info about documenting APIs. Or see my posts on AI and AI course section for more on the latest in AI and tech comm.

If you're a technical writer and want to keep on top of the latest trends in the tech comm, be sure to subscribe to email updates below. You can also learn more about me or contact me. Finally, note that the opinions I express on my blog are my own points of view, not that of my employer.