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 to identify the training format in which they learned the majority of their core user assistance skills.

The first figure shows that the majority of the respondents, 64%, gained their core skills at the office on company time. This can probably be attributed to the unique skills and technologies that we employ. A fifth of us indicated that learning on our own was the main way to stay current.

The second figure shows how the different types of training sources affect salary. While only 9% of the respondents said they learned core skills from seminars and conferences, this group also enjoys the highest average annual salary of $67,000. Just 7% of respondents indicated they learned core skills through their formal education, but these folks are rewarded the least with a salary of $62,000.

In a separate question we asked the respondents if their formal education was in the field of Technical Communication—44% indicated it was. This might suggest that few of what we consider to be core skills are being taught in the traditional learning venues like universities and colleges.