The Cherryleaf Podcast

164. Trends in technical writing careers for 2026 and beyond

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In this episode, we explore how AI is reshaping the technical writing profession and what skills will matter most in the coming years. While AI dominates the conversation about the future, we dig deeper into what this means for technical writers, documentation strategy, and career development.

Summary: 

The role of technical communicator is evolving from document creator to strategic orchestrator of complex information ecosystems. Success requires:

  • Proactivity: Identify problems and initiate solutions rather than waiting for direction
  • Strategic thinking: Design information experiences, not just documents
    • Technical depth: Level varies by organization and documentation type
  • Data literacy: Evaluate success through analytics
  • Persuasion: Influence stakeholders and gain buy-in for your vision

    • The person filling this role might come from technical writing, UX/UI, content strategy, or training backgrounds, whoever can demonstrate the necessary skills first.

    Links:

    • Nano Banana Pro is the “ChatGPT Moment” for Visual Communication
    • Generative UI
    • The “Engineering” of the Technical Writer
    • Documentation Product Management: Does the AI Era Demand a New Discipline?
    • Managing and mastering documentation projects with AI course

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