atw: Re: Fields of Tech Communication

  • From: Peter Rule <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 13:33:46 +1100

Hi Ilana,
Remember: the grass is always greener on the other side.  

Contracting can be difficult to get used to and it takes time to develop the 
contacts that you need to provide reasonably constant work; and you are always 
managing those contacts as they change constantly.  And luck and timing seem to 
always have a lot to do with it.

I've been contracting for the 3 yrs or so since we worked together and 
certainly the first year was the hardest in terms of the amount of work picked 
up.  But since then I've never really felt like going back to a permanent job. 
You get much more attuned to selling your services as a business; and this is 
how I treat it.  You can certainly make a decent living out of it (In the last 
two years I have easilly earned twice the salary I was on 3yrs ago). Although I 
suspect the disparity between contract rates and salaried jobs is diminishing 
(my current position - as a contractor - has just been advertised as a full 
time job at 85000 for example) and contract rates haven't really moved in 3 yrs.

I don't find the constant looking for work a drag.  In my experience this 
aspect is actually much less stressful than job seeking when a permanent.  Two 
reasons: a) you do it alot, so you get good at it (you have to!) and, b) you do 
it alot so you know that your whole world is not reliant on you getting that 
"specific" job and that another "possible" is just around the corner.  You 
accept rejection much more happily and move on quickly (like about 3 seconds).

I know many people on this list have had the experience of suddenly being out 
of work  whether they had a permanent or a contract job.  And certainly, 
contractors are universally better equipped to handled those times when they do 
occur (simply because of their constant experience of applying for work).

Of course you really need to be set up financially to cover the down times as 
well as the possible extended down times.  But is this really any different to 
having a permanent job?  

Pete





-----Original message-----
From: Ilana Cohney Ilana.Cohney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 09:58:58 +1100
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Fields of Tech Communication

> Hi all,
> Not exactly the same topic but I also am considering a work change. 
> Over the years I have been mainly working in a series of permanent 
> positions for both IT and non-IT orgnisations. I have been in my 
> current position for two years. I seems that after a couple of years in 
> an orgnisation, the profile and worth of the technical writer is much 
> less than it was at the beginning. When I commence a new job there is 
> usually much appreciation that at last there is someone who can actually 
> write to take over all those pesky documents and Help projects. After a 
> year or two the core system, online and procedure documents have been 
> written and (in my experience) the writer goes into "maintenance" mode. 
> This means that you are no longer seen as an important asset to the 
> company. As was so innocently put to me by my boss last week, "In our 
> experience, no-one actually uses the online Help anyway!" After all 
> documentation does not actually generate revenue for the business like 
> programming or project management does!
> 
> My question actually is, how difficult is it to actually make a decent 
> living out of contract work? At the moment, it certainly looks more 
> appealing to me than dealing with another lot of patronising, 
> unappreciative ....need I say more... set of bosses. My problem is 
> that when I am looking for work, I panic and accept a permanent job and 
> its security because the thought of starving does not appeal much 
> either. Those of you contractors, do you find the constant job search a 
> real grind or do the benefits outweigh the negatives of a permanent 
> position?
> Ilana
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