Prospects

Specialists with work experience often earn the same salaries as engineers. There are slight differences depending on employer and personal qualification. In the case of an employer, it is primarily the location of the corporate office (country and region), size of the company, and the industry (industrial, software, and service companies) that influence the salary. When it comes to individual factors, position, work experience, and, sadly, gender often play an important role. 

Do you want to know more about salaries?

You will find detailed facts & figures in the studies conducted by tekom e.V.

Those who are satisfied with their job are often also successful in it! Technical documentation proves that success need not always relate to a career in the conventional sense of the term. Your professional development opportunities are as varied as your job profiles. A classic management track—from being a representative to becoming team lead to taking on a leadership position with staff responsibility—is common, but does not need to be at the top of the list of career goals in this profession. In fact, technical communication gives you the opportunity to switch between job roles and develop your competencies from a content-related and technical perspective. This can mean a different job role in the same company, where one moves to the job role of Localization Engineer from being a Quality Manager. Or, it can involve switching to a different sector—from industry to consulting or education. You also have the opportunity to specialize and become an expert, i.e., the first point of contact, for a particular area (e.g., usability). In short, there are many professional springboards available.

Official trips per se are not part and parcel of this profession. However, they can become a part of your daily work life if your position in the company requires it. Official trips are primarily intended for project coordination and professional exchanges.

As with almost all professions, working conditions and working time models vary from employer to employer. However, when it comes to technical communication, one can generally say that a good work-life balance can be maintained. Alumni reports state that some employers even offer the option of working from home. But obviously, this is not a given and needs to be previously agreed on with the respective employer. 

An entry into the field of technical communication depends on which career path you come from. There are students, who have the background of a theoretical and subject-specific basic education. Then there are lateral entrants, who have originally studied something else (e.g., machine building or translation) and simply want to study technical communication to expand their knowledge. They can demonstrate work experience and are already familiar with the processes of day-to-day work. However, students too have distinctive advantages. Undergraduate education in technical communication provides a better foundation for necessary linguistic, technical, and methodological skills. Course contents are explicitly designed for the industry and adapted to the constantly changing conditions of our society. Internships, practical semesters, or jobs for student employees also provide them the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge and gain practical experience.