[austechwriter] Re: Another one down - and almost out

Oh boy do I know that scene, John (Brooke).

Am going through much the same horrors myself.

All the best to you and, if I may be of any assistance, please get in touch 
off-list.

As I wrote direct to Melanie Dixon earlier today:
><snip>
>
>This is a really tough jobs market and I don't see it getting any better 
>in the immediate future due to the massive problems for the technology 
>sector in the US economy that now owns so / too many of our IT companies.
>
>That aside, if I may be of any help or moral support (or if we can both 
>help each other to get something else) I am always eager to assist a colleague.
>
>Trouble is, I seem to help everyone else to get work except myself.

We have to all work together to beat this.

We should not be undercutting each others' rates and driving our profession 
into the ground.

The unrealistic job requirements, the $40.00 and less an hour offers and 
the unfunded relocation requirements that we have seen of late are just an 
insult to our profession.

The art of being a really useful Technical Communicator is all about being 
able to jump in the deep end, collect the information and swim to the top 
with something usable for the intended audience.

Most of the recent job ads are all about getting the IT Subject Matter 
Experts (SMEs) to also do the documentation work, below the cost of 
employing a writer, let alone an SME.

It has nothing to do with employing Tech Writers - just about getting SMEs 
to document and work 80 hours a week for the cost of 20.

Employers are simply taking massive advantage of these terrible times and 
(in defence of some of the better IT recruiters who have published recently 
on this list) the IT recruiters usually have no say in the matter, as they 
all go for the scraps of what is left, to keep their businesses alive.

In turn, this approach is creating an unfortunate situation where all the 
employers are left with is burnt out, disaffected employees, whose family 
life is destroyed as they have to meet more and more stringent and 
unreasonable job requirements, retraining for new skills at their own cost, 
at the whim of those employers.

The employers know that, the moment the market picks up, people will move 
on, which is why lots of experience can really work against you.   If you 
are more desirable you are seen as more "headhuntable", so they employ more 
junior and more easily manipulated writers instead.

It's not a pretty sight from any angle.

We have to stick together as a creative community and do what we can to 
avoid destroying the rates and salary bases that we need to survive.

We are only hurting ourselves by applying for jobs with outrageous 
requirements, unfair conditions and unworthy pay.

That said, we all still have to eat.

I don't pretend to know what the answer is, but I'd like to hear people's 
suggestions.

Regardless, we have to demonstrate how our profession adds value in 
communicating all things technical to all kinds of audiences and promote 
our value in the marketplace.  Not an easy ask.

...and all the best to Melanie.  Please let us know how you go.

Sincerely,

Michael Granat
Write Ideas
Carnegie, Victoria, Australia.

At 14:10 30/6/2003 +1000, you wrote:
><snip>
>I have over 20 years experience as a tech writer, with some tech training,
>doc management, configuration management, and logistic support analysis
>thrown in, in fields as diverse as defence, health care and kit homes!  A
>hell of a lot of experience I guess, in posts that have been thoroughly
>enjoyable, working with fantastic products and many intelligent and
>interesting people.
><snip>  It seems that if you can't hit the ground
>running (what a stupid cliche) these days you're not good enough.  So maybe
>it's time to bale out, find something else to do that's totally unrelated
>to IT and big corporate budgets.
>Do I sound bitter? No. Sad, yes, at having get out of something that I have
>really enjoyed for the past 20 + years.
>
>Hang in there Melanie.  The market seems to be a bit slack at the moment -
>probably to do with Fin Year end.
>
>cheers
>
>John

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