I'm not a technical writer, but I've been at a few firms that have hired them. A couple observations: 1 - There's an enormous gap between great technical writi

I'm not a technical writer, but I've been at a few firms that have hired them. A couple observations: 1 - There's an enormous gap between great technical writing and so-so technical writing, but it is hard to get paid for the great work unless you're working for yourself. (Hard for a company to pay one technical writer $50K and another $100K, but they can pay $100/hour part-time vs $50K full-time to someone who can do clearer work in a quarter the time) 2 - Many people write books with secondary agendas (to promote their day-career) so it's hard to just make money off the book. A well-written book is a fantastic calling card, though, and beats any resume. 3 - For better or worse, some of the coolest folks in tech are the writers. I don't know why. Perhaps because they're in it for interest rather than getting rich? 4 - I don't know any dabblers who have made a career of it, but I know several who have said "This is who I am" and have made a decent living. How to start? Start writing a blog! Then share your portfolio. Meet people until you find one that has a need. It's a different field than engineering where every company has holes. It's more like there's 0 or 1 spot, and you want to be top of mind to someone who has 1. Good luck!