The 2010 WritersUA User Assistance Salary Survey

Location • Training • Management • Organization Size • Satisfaction • Contractors/Part-Timers • Canada and Others • Job Titles and Comments • Survey Home

The nature of software user assistance and the broader field of technical communication requires us to invest our time in a colorful assortment of educational mechanisms. We develop our skills through formal education, on the job training, personal enrichment efforts on our own time, seminars and conferences, and various other ways. But does the form of learning affect salary level? Our survey asked the respondents a number of questions about their formal education and on-going training. We were not able to develop reliable salary figures that correlate with the various responses.

What is the highest level of education you have completed?
Education Level	Response Percent
High School	3.4%
Community College/2- or 3-year degree	8.1%
College/University/4-year degree	54.5%
Graduate School	34.0%

Rank the importance the following have had in the development of your user assistance skills:
Development Level	Least important	Less important	Important	Most important	Rating Average
Formal institutional education	209	139	131	69	2.11
Formal training at your organization	143	198	128	81	2.27
Independent seminars/conferences	134	195	228	45	2.31
Learning on your own	17	55	131	440	3.55

How much experience do you have developing some form of software user assistance?
Experience Level	Response Percent
No experience	2.8%
6 months	0.7%
1 year	1.9%
2 years	2.5%
3 years	4.2%
4 years	3.6%
5 -9 years	21.6%
10 or more years	62.5%

In a separate question we asked the respondents if their formal education was in the field of Technical Communication — 41% indicated "Yes", it was. The average annual salary for those responding Yes was just $50 more than for those responding No. A degree specifically in tech comm does not seem to make a difference.