Salary
Average Salary: $65,500
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,734,000
Don't let the word "writer" in this job title discourage you; technical writers actually make pretty good money (more than many of their keyboard-wielding counterparts in other industries, anyway). The median income for technical writers falls at $65,000, which will buy you a decent middle-class living in most parts of the country.
Of course, you won't start this career earning $65,000; budding technical writers earn $20 to $25 an hour, which (if they work full-time) means they're bringing in $40,000 to $50,000 a year (source).
If you're interested in a six-figure salary, that is something you can achieve as a technical writer, especially if you specialize in documenting computer software and hardware products and processes. The major tech companies of the world, Microsoft, Google, and Adobe, for example, can pay their technical writers in excess of $100,000 (source).
Granted, you'll probably have to live on the West Coast to earn that kind of money, and $100,000 buys you less than you might think in sunny California and rainy Seattle, but still, a six-figure-income writing gig is pretty sweet.