Technical Writing & Editing: A Career for English Majors

Bryan Winkler (BA 1999) has worked for over 20 years for Energy Systems Group, which provides energy-related solutions for federal, state, and municipal customers. The Senior Manager of Proposal Development Services leads a team that helps create technical proposals to be submitted as part of competitive bidding processes. “I use my degree in English every time I edit paragraphs written by others for clarity and conciseness,” says Winkler. “It’s not Shakespeare, but for those who don’t mind more technically focused (i.e. engineering) language, this job can be very rewarding.”

Is this a good career fit for English majors?

For me, studying literature goes beyond simply understanding the plot, characters, setting, etc. It’s been said before, but an English degree helps you learn how to think. More specifically, the study of fiction helps us better understand much of the non-fiction we read every day, such as magazine and newspaper articles. The study of the written word can even help us understand verbal conversations with one another. This is an invaluable asset in just about any career—and in life, for that matter. 

My proposal development team aims to create a readable and compelling document that answers the proposal requirements—but also speaks to the customer more personally to help separate us from our competition.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I enjoy working with my co-workers to create a proposal that wins us a job. I get huge satisfaction from our company being selected to do work, given the strong competition in our industry. I also enjoy the simple editing process of taking what other people wrote and tailoring it to a specific audience.

Advice for current majors interested in careers like yours? 

Do as much research as possible about the specific job you’d like to pursue. If possible, ask a prospective company for an informational interview while you’re still in school to better understand what the job entails. Don’t be afraid to investigate multiple different jobs. Going to job fairs is always time well spent. You don’t know what you don’t know, and learning about other professions can only help inform your career decisions.

What do you most appreciate about your time at the University of Minnesota?

I love the time spent with friends and enjoying the U bookstore! Browsing books is one of my (admittedly indulgent) pastimes.

What books are you recommending these days?

For fiction, two recent novels I liked were The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt and As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. For non-fiction, King by Jonathan Eig was a great biography of an iconic figure.