Latest / The Career Change Podcast with Fexingo: Switching Fields, Bootcamps, and Reskilling / How Bootcamp Grads Can Transition Into Technical Writing
Transcript
- Lucas: If you went through a coding bootcamp and you're now job hunting, you've probably heard the same advice over and over: build projects, contribute to open source, grind LeetCode. But there's a role that barely gets mentioned, and it's actually a really good fit for bootcamp grads who like writing. Luna: Let me guess — technical writing? Lucas: Exactly. Technical writing. It's one of those careers that a lot of people don't think about until they stumble into it. But companies are desperate for people who can both understand code and explain it clearly. And bootcamp grads, honestly, are in a great position for that. Luna: I can see that. You've got the vocabulary, you've built a few projects, you've read plenty of docs yourself. But how do you actually break in? I feel like most job postings ask for years of experience writing professionally. Lucas: That's the classic catch-22. But the entry point is usually smaller than people think. Let's start with the numbers. According to the latest data from the IEEE and Glassdoor, the median salary for a junior technical writer in the US, as of mid-2026, is about $82,000. And for someone with a bootcamp background and a solid portfolio, you can realistically target $75,000 to $95,000. Luna: That's pretty competitive with junior developer salaries, honestly. Lucas: It is. And the barrier to entry is lower in one key way: you don't need to pass a LeetCode hard. You need to demonstrate that you can write clear, accurate documentation. That's a skill you can practice on your own with zero cost. And most hiring managers I've talked to say they'd rather hire someone who can code a little and write well than someone who's a brilliant prose stylist but can't read a line of Python. Luna: So what does 'writing well' mean in a technical context? I'm guessing it's not the same as writing an essay. Lucas: Not at all. Technical writing for software is mostly about clarity, conciseness, and accuracy. You're writing API documentation, installation guides, troubleshooting articles, release notes. The tools of the trade are things like Markdown, Git, and static site generators like Docusaurus. Knowing a bit of HTML and CSS helps, and being comfortable with the command line is a plus. Luna: So you're basically writing code that documents code. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why bootcamp grads have an edge. You already understand the workflow: cloning a repo, making a branch, committing changes, opening a pull request. That's the exact workflow at most tech companies. A lot of applicants from journalism or English backgrounds have to learn all of that from scratch. Luna: Right. So how do you build a portfolio when you've never been paid to write docs? I feel like that's the big hurdle. Lucas: The single best piece of advice I've seen comes from a former bootcamp grad named Maria Chen. She completed a full-stack bootcamp in 2023, couldn't land a dev role, so she decided to pivot into technical writing. She built her entire portfolio by picking one of the side projects she built during the bootcamp — a simple task management app — and writing complete documentation for it. Luna: Like, she pretended it was a real product? Lucas: Exactly. She wrote a README that was actually thorough, an installation guide, an API reference for the endpoints, and a short tutorial on how to use the app. She put it all in a GitHub repository, formatted with Markdown, and linked to it from her resume and LinkedIn. That was her entire portfolio. It landed her a job at a cloud infrastructure company within three months. Luna: That's smart. And it's not like she needed a huge app. A small, focused project can show everything an employer cares about. Lucas: Exactly. Another approach is to contribute to open source documentation. Lots of popular projects — think libraries like React or frameworks like Django — have issues labeled 'good first issue' or 'documentation'. You can fix a typo, clarify a confusing paragraph, or add a missing example. Those contributions are public and can go straight into your portfolio. Luna: And they show you can collaborate with a team, which is a big deal. Lucas: Absolutely. I've also seen people create sample documentation for open APIs that don't have great docs. Take the Stripe API, for instance — it's well documented, but you could write a beginner's guide using their test mode. Or the GitHub API. Pick something you've actually used, and document it the way you wish it had been documented when you first started. Luna: That's a great angle. It shows empathy for the user. Lucas: And that's the core skill. Technical writing isn't about fancy language. It's about reducing cognitive load for the reader. If you can make a developer's life easier by writing clear docs, you are adding real value. Companies know that. Luna: One thing I've noticed is that there are different flavours of technical writing. Developer documentation is one thing, but there's also product documentation for end users. Do bootcamp grads have an advantage in one over the other? Lucas: I think developer docs are the natural fit, because you're writing for an audience that already has some technical knowledge. You can use terms like 'API endpoint', 'payload', 'authentication token' and they'll understand. Product docs are more about explaining features to non-technical users, which is a different skill. But both are valid paths. Luna: And I imagine the job titles vary too. Technical writer, documentation engineer, content developer, knowledge manager... Lucas: Yeah, the titles are all over the place. Some companies call it 'technical content strategist' or 'developer experience writer'. But the core responsibilities overlap a lot. One trend I've noticed is that more companies are hiring for 'documentation engineers' who split their time between writing and light coding — like maintaining the documentation build system or writing code samples. That hybrid role is ideal for bootcamp grads. Luna: That makes sense. You bring both skills to the table. Lucas: Right. And the job market is growing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects technical writing jobs will grow about 12 percent through 2034, faster than average. A lot of that is driven by software companies needing to document increasingly complex APIs and SDKs. Luna: So if someone listening is thinking, 'Okay, I want to try this,' what's the first thing they should do tomorrow? Lucas: Pick one project you built during bootcamp. Open a new GitHub repository. Write a proper README with an overview, installation steps, and a quick start guide. Then write an API reference for any endpoints you exposed. If your project didn't have a backend, write a guide for how to configure and run the frontend. That alone gives you three pieces of documentation to show. Luna: You know, Lucas, this kind of practical, no-fluff advice is exactly why I love doing this show. We cover angles that actually help people make moves. Lucas: That's the whole point, honestly. And it's why we keep this show ad-free. We don't want to clutter the conversation with sponsored messages or pop-up ads. If you've found this useful, the best way to support that choice is at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep the lights on and make sure we can keep digging into topics like this without any external pressure. Lucas: Exactly. Alright, back to the practical stuff. Once you have that initial portfolio piece, the next step is to tailor your resume. Most bootcamp grads list their projects with a focus on features and tech stack. For a technical writing role, you want to reframe those projects around communication. Luna: You mean instead of saying 'Built a React app with Redux,' you say 'Documented the React component library with usage examples'? Lucas: Precisely. Highlight any time you wrote a README, contributed to a wiki, or even wrote clear commit messages. If you worked on a team project, mention that you helped write the project documentation. Hiring managers for technical writing roles are scanning for those keywords. Luna: What about cover letters? Should they be different from a dev role cover letter? Lucas: Totally different. In a dev cover letter, you talk about your passion for building things. In a technical writing cover letter, you talk about your passion for making things understandable. And you should include a link to your portfolio — ideally a single page that lists your writing samples with a brief context for each. Luna: And I imagine the interview itself is different too. Less whiteboarding, more... editing? Lucas: Often they'll give you a writing exercise. Common formats: take a confusing paragraph of documentation and rewrite it, or write a short tutorial for a hypothetical feature. Some companies will ask you to review a pull request for documentation and suggest improvements. So practicing that kind of thing is smart. Luna: That's very doable with some preparation. Lucas: Very doable. And another thing: networking. Reach out to technical writers on LinkedIn and ask if they'd be open to a fifteen-minute chat about their role. Most people are happy to talk. You can learn what tools they use, what their day-to-day looks like, and sometimes they'll even pass your resume along. Luna: One specific tip I've heard is to join the Write the Docs community. They have a Slack, conferences, and a newsletter. It's pretty welcoming to newcomers. Lucas: Yeah, Write the Docs is fantastic. Great place to ask questions and find mentors. Also, look for local meetups or virtual events. The community is generally very supportive. Luna: So to wrap up: pick a project, write docs for it, put it in a portfolio, reframe your resume, and start networking. That's a solid plan. Lucas: That's the playbook. And if you're a bootcamp grad who's feeling stuck, technical writing might be the path that clicks. Give it a shot. Luna: Thanks, Lucas. And thanks to everyone listening. We'll be back next time with another episode.