Quite right Geoff. If you want to contract, you need to realise there is a marketplace, and within that marketplace is supply and demand. If the market is asking for $40/hour and you're asking for $65, prepare to have long holidays. Having said that, there's a well-founded marketing principle that many people unconsciously choose a more expensive product because they perceive more value from it. Even if it is essentially the same as a cheaper product ;) Craig Bligh Technical Writer, Product Development MXL Consolidated Pty Ltd Level 3, 62 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Phone +61 2 8249 0000 Fax +61 2 8249 0099 Email craig.bligh@xxxxxxx www.mxl.com Wise Software Solutions for the Global Education Market -----Original Message----- From: geoff@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:geoff@xxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Monday, 30 June 2003 4:47 PM To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [austechwriter] Re: Another one down - and almost out Quoting Michael Edward Granat <megranat@xxxxxxxx>: > > 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. > I think that $40 x 40hrs x 52weeks = $83200pa Anyone who thinks that $83,200 p.a. is an unrealistically *low* salary will probably remain uneployed for a considerable amount of time. Most employers are not looking for The Ultimate Tech Writer, they are looking for someone who can do the job for a *realistic* salary. If a writer applies for a job at $25/hr, and can do the job - what employer is going to pay someone else $40/hr to do the same job? I've noticed that most people who complain about low rates devaluing the industry are hanging out for rates that get them laughed out of most jobs. Be thankful that I have a job, because I'd be happy to take on most tech writing tasks at $30/hr salary. Michael, you may feel wounded by my comments, but expecting a salary so high when so many of your peers are unemployed is just as bad for the industry as asking $15/hr. 0.02c Geoff ------------------------------------------------- This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/ ************************************************** To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject field. To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe" in the Subject field. To search the austechwriter archives, go to www.freelist.org/archives/austechwriter To contact the list administrator, send a message to austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ************************************************** ************************************************** To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject field. To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe" in the Subject field. To search the austechwriter archives, go to www.freelist.org/archives/austechwriter To contact the list administrator, send a message to austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx **************************************************