Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / Returning as a Technical Writer After an Eight-Year Gap
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked about returning to nursing, to data science, to project management. But I think we've never actually drilled into one of the most 'comeback-friendly' roles out there: technical writing. Luna: Really? I would have thought that would be one of the harder ones to re-enter, given how much the tools have changed. Lucas: That's exactly what makes it interesting. Let me introduce you to Priya. She's a former software documentation specialist who stepped away for eight years to raise her two kids. She came back in early 2026, and within four months she landed a full-time role as a technical writer at a mid-sized SaaS company. Luna: Four months feels fast. What did she do differently? Lucas: The big one: she didn't spend those eight years totally disconnected. She kept a casual blog about her family's tech setup — smart home stuff, troubleshooting tips. That became the seed of her new portfolio. It wasn't professional-grade at first, but it showed she could write clearly about technical topics. Luna: So she turned a personal project into evidence of skill. That's a smart move for anyone with a gap. Lucas: Exactly. But she also did something more deliberate. In the six months before her job search, she contributed documentation to two open-source projects on GitHub. That gave her real, current examples of API docs, user guides, and even a troubleshooting manual. She could point to those and say, 'This is what I can do, today.' Luna: That's a concrete way to bridge the gap. And I'm guessing she didn't just apply online and hope. Lucas: Right. She reached out to former colleagues, did informational interviews with about a dozen people in the field, and asked each one the same question: 'What's the biggest challenge your team faces in documentation right now?' That gave her talking points for interviews and also helped her tailor her portfolio to what companies actually needed. Luna: What was the biggest challenge they mentioned? I'm guessing AI is shaking things up. Lucas: Yeah, AI is a big one. Several teams told her they're using AI to generate first drafts, but they still need someone to fact-check, structure, and make it readable. So she took a short course on API documentation and learned how to write for developer audiences. That put her ahead of candidates who only had old-school user manuals. Luna: So she upskilled in the exact area where the demand is growing. That's the kind of targeted effort that pays off. Lucas: It does. And the numbers back her up. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 12 percent growth for technical writers through 2030, faster than the average for all occupations. That's partly because software and medical devices keep getting more complex, and someone has to explain them. Luna: Twelve percent is solid. But I'm curious about the interview itself. How did she handle the eight-year gap when they asked about it? Lucas: She was upfront but strategic. She said, 'I took time to focus on my family, but I also kept my writing sharp through my blog and learned project management by organizing school events and volunteer work.' She framed it as a period where she honed skills that are actually relevant: communication, organization, meeting deadlines. Luna: That's a great reframe. It shows she didn't just sit idle — she was building transferable skills. Lucas: Exactly. And she also practiced answering the question without apologizing. She said that in her first few interviews, she'd rush past the gap, and it made her sound insecure. Once she owned it, she noticed the conversation shifted. Interviewers stopped probing and started asking about her technical skills. Luna: Confidence really is half the battle. Did she negotiate on salary? Lucas: She did. She researched salaries for her region and experience level, and when the offer came in, she asked for 15 percent more. The company countered with 8 percent, and they settled at 12 percent above her pre-gap salary. She told me the key was having a specific number in mind and not being afraid to ask. Luna: That's a great outcome. And it shows that a gap doesn't automatically mean you're worth less. Lucas: Right. The market is actually pretty hungry for clear communicators. With all the ai generated content out there, companies are desperate for humans who can make it accurate and usable. Priya's story is a perfect example of how to position yourself for that. Luna: It's funny you mention ai generated content. I was reading that some companies are actually flooding job boards with low-quality technical writing gigs, probably ai written, and it's making it harder for real candidates to stand out. Lucas: That's a real problem. That's why Priya's open-source work mattered so much — it's verifiable and shows a human touch. Anyone can say they know how to write, but a portfolio with real GitHub commits is hard to fake. Luna: So what's the takeaway for someone listening who's been out of work for a few years and thinking about technical writing? Lucas: Start small. You don't need to publish a full documentation site overnight. Priya began by writing a single README for a friend's small project. Then she expanded to a few more. Before she knew it, she had a portfolio of five or six pieces that showed range. Luna: And she did that while still at home with her kids, right? Lucas: Yeah, she carved out an hour a day after bedtime. She said it was the only time she could focus. But that consistency added up. After six months, she had enough to apply with confidence. Luna: That's a realistic approach. It's easy to feel like you need to do everything at once, but incremental progress works. Lucas: And this episode is a bit like that — we're building our knowledge base one comeback story at a time. And speaking of that, we do this without ads, which is a choice we've made from day one. If you've ever gotten value from these conversations, and you want to support the ad-free choice, you can do that at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep the show sustainable. Luna: Yeah, it's a nice way to say thanks without any pressure. We just appreciate that you're listening. Lucas: Okay, back to Priya. One thing that really struck me was how she handled rejection. She got turned down from three roles before she landed the one she took. But she treated each rejection as a data point. She asked for feedback when she could, and she adjusted her approach. Luna: That's a healthy mindset. What did she change based on that feedback? Lucas: One interviewer told her that her portfolio was strong but that she didn't seem comfortable with modern tools like content management systems and version control. So she spent a weekend learning the basics of Git and Markdown, and she added a small section to her portfolio showing she could work with those tools. Luna: That's a quick turnaround. It's amazing how a small skill can make a big difference in perception. Lucas: It's all about closing those little gaps that might give a hiring manager pause. And the same principle applies to any career: identify the top two or three things that are holding you back, and tackle them one at a time. Luna: So for someone listening who's thinking about technical writing but has no background in it, is it still realistic? Lucas: It's harder, but not impossible. Priya had prior experience, which gave her a foundation. If you're starting from scratch, you'd need to build that foundation first — maybe through a certificate program or by volunteering to write documentation for a nonprofit. It's more of a long game, but the door isn't closed. Luna: That's reassuring. I think a lot of people worry that a gap is a permanent stain, but episodes like this show it's really about how you reframe it. Lucas: Exactly. And Priya's story is just one path. The key is to stay connected to the craft, be willing to learn new tools, and be strategic about how you present your time away. That's what turned a potential liability into a strength. Luna: Well, I'm definitely taking notes for my own future. Thanks for sharing Priya's story, Lucas. Lucas: Absolutely. If you're listening and you've got a comeback story of your own, we'd love to hear it. Maybe it'll be the next episode.