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Know AI. Prove It.

From technical writer to writer

A career change with AI in view: what carries over, what to build, and how AI is changing both jobs.

Can a technical writer become a writer?

It is a move the US Department of Labor's occupational database recognizes: O*NET lists writers and authors as one of the ten occupations it rates most closely related to technical writers, from what people in both jobs do, know and are called. Of the skills the new job rates important, you already work at or above its level in reading comprehension, critical thinking and complex problem solving. The biggest step up is in persuasion. BLS says writers and authors typically need a bachelor's degree to enter.

Both jobs, side by sideYour skills, comparedStart free: lesson 1

Both jobs, side by side

Published measures only, each from its own source. We do not blend them into a score.

MeasureTechnical writerWriter
Jobs outlook, 2025 to 2035up 0.8%about level
Openings a year3,20011,900
Median pay, 2025$90,390$76,910
Typical education to enterBachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
Experience in a related jobLess than 5 yearsNone
On-the-job trainingShort-term on-the-job trainingLong-term on-the-job training
How people use AI on this work61% working with AI, 39% handing tasks over71% working with AI, 29% handing tasks over
How much of the work AI can assist (0 to 1)0.370.45

What these do not mean: the outlook, pay, education and training are the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' ten year projection and worker characteristics, revised every year, and say nothing about any one employer or person. How people use AI comes from Anthropic's Economic Index and describes people who already use one AI assistant. Microsoft Research rates how much AI can assist the work; “Our metrics should not be misconstrued or misrepresented as measuring the ability of AI to replace jobs.”

What you bring

Skills the new job rates important where O*NET rates your current job at or above the level it needs.

  • Reading Comprehension

    Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

    O*NET level in your job 4.9, needed in the new job 4.3 (of 7); importance there 4.1 (of 5).

  • Critical Thinking

    Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

    O*NET level in your job 3.9, needed in the new job 3.9 (of 7); importance there 3.6 (of 5).

  • Complex Problem Solving

    Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

    O*NET level in your job 3.0, needed in the new job 3.0 (of 7); importance there 3.1 (of 5).

  • Judgment and Decision Making

    Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

    O*NET level in your job 3.0, needed in the new job 3.0 (of 7); importance there 3.1 (of 5).

  • Active Learning

    Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

    O*NET level in your job 3.6, needed in the new job 3.1 (of 7); importance there 3.0 (of 5).

What to build

Skills the new job rates important and needs at a level 0.5 or more higher than your current job (on O*NET's scale of 0 to 7), biggest step first.

  • Persuasion

    Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

    O*NET level in your job 2.9, needed in the new job 3.4 (of 7); importance there 3.0 (of 5).

Where AI already shows up in the new job

Core tasks of the work, from O*NET, that appear in real AI use. Arrive able to direct AI on these and check what it produces.

  • Edit or rewrite existing written material as necessary, and submit written material for approval by supervisor, editor, or publisher.
  • Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium.
  • Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material.
  • Write advertising material for use by publication, broadcast, or internet media to promote the sale of goods and services.

Everything AI changes for writers and authors

What to learn first for the move

The first AI skills for the new job, in order. Each is taught in GAGE's AI literacy program, Certified AI Practitioner: Workplace Foundations.

  1. 1.Use AI for research and outlines, and verify every fact it gives you

    Taught in Module 5, Critical Thinking and Context Engineering

  2. 2.Keep your own voice when AI helps with drafts and rewrites

    Taught in Module 2, AI Fundamentals; Module 4, Practical AI Workflow Design and Prompt Engineering

  3. 3.Know who owns AI assisted writing and what to tell clients

    Taught in Module 2, AI Fundamentals; Module 3, Ethical and Responsible AI and Operational Governance

Start free: lesson 1See the whole program
Direct it. Catch it. Prove it. (56 s)

Show a new employer you can do it

Changing careers means proving yourself to someone who has not seen your work. At GAGE you explain each idea back in your own words and it is graded against the lesson, so your record shows what you understood. An employer can check it with one link.

Other moves from technical writer

Other ways into writer

Going the other way? From writer to technical writer.

Questions

Can a technical writer become a writer?
It is a move the US Department of Labor's occupational database recognizes: O*NET lists writers and authors as one of the ten occupations it rates most closely related to technical writers, from what people in both jobs do, know and are called. Of the skills the new job rates important, you already work at or above its level in reading comprehension, critical thinking and complex problem solving. The biggest step up is in persuasion. BLS says writers and authors typically need a bachelor's degree to enter.
Is a writer safer from AI than a technical writer?
No published measure ranks jobs by safety, and we do not blend the measures into one. Through 2035, BLS projects writers and authors to stay about level, and technical writers to grow 0.8 percent. On how much of the work AI can assist, Microsoft Research rates writer 0.45 and technical writer 0.37 out of 1, which its authors say is not a measure of job loss. In both jobs, the person who can direct AI and check its work is the one a team keeps.
What should I learn first to move from technical writer to writer?
Use AI for research and outlines, and verify every fact it gives you; Keep your own voice when AI helps with drafts and rewrites; Know who owns AI assisted writing and what to tell clients. Those are the first AI skills for the new job, and GAGE teaches each of them in its AI literacy program. The first lesson is free.

How this move was chosen, and sources

O*NET lists writers and authors as one of the ten occupations it rates most closely related to technical writers (number 9 in its order). We publish a move only when O*NET places it among the ten most related and both jobs have a page here, and we keep O*NET's order. A skill is compared when the new job rates it 3 or more for importance (of 5); it is a step up at a level 0.5 or more higher (of 7); it carries over when your current job is rated at or above the level needed. Ratings O*NET marks as low precision are left out.

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