I had always heard people say they were making money online but the only way I could think of doing so was through surveys, academic writing, and foreign exchange trading. I didn’t know it was actually possible to earn money online until recently when I was looking for another job. My job at that time was very hectic. The daily commutes to work were taking a toll on my health and I had migraines every day. The pay wasn’t great and I was not able to make enough to make ends meet.

That was until I discovered a list of websites that pay writers.  Having a programming and technology background, I pitched some of the tech publications and, within two hours, I got a reply from one of them. They told me their rates and, after I replied that I was okay with those, I completed their contract. I can write as many tutorials as I want, and actually be paid for it. This discovery led me to research and find other publications that pay to write tutorials. For now, I am concentrating on writing programming tutorials because programming is my passion and I don’t struggle to do it.

I still applied to other publications. Some replied while others rejected me. However, things turned around for the better when my first tutorial was published. Every time I pitch to publications, most of them will ask for a writing sample, and it’s always easier when you have an online publication that you can show.

It goes without saying that having a niche and a published sample are some of the critical aspects that clients will be looking for whenever you pitch.

Technology is exploding. Being a technical writer, and especially writing tutorials, can earn you big money. Unlike blog posts where you earn around $50, the minimum pay for a tutorial is $100 and it can go as high as $1000.

Writing tutorials has enabled me to learn a lot, and expand my skills as a developer because I have to do a lot of research to come up with high-quality tutorials. I am a much better developer and writer.

RELATED:

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• Curious About Becoming a Technical Writer? – James Rada, Jr.
• The Internet Changed My Writing Life! By Connie Werner Reichert
• Technically Speaking: How To Break Into Technology Writing by S.E. Batt
• After Multiple Rejections, I Changed My Story Angle, and Landed a Contract! – by Kathleen Sullivan
• Great Writers Are Great Communicators. Great Technologists Are NOT! By Jackie Bassett

Esther Vaati is a software developer based in Kenya. She is very about passionate about technology. When she is not coding, she loves to watch movies and do volunteer work. You can connect with her on her website – https://www.vaatiesther.com.

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