atw: Re: Fields of Tech Communication (Unclassified)

Agree with Peter completely.
Possibly those, like me, who are familiar with Permanent employment are
uncomfortable with the unknown and just feel more comfortable believing they
are more secure in Permanent employment. I've worked in an organisation
where an entire department was made redundant due to the organisations
change of direction or financial dependencies.

I hesitantly went from Permanent to a 9-month contract when made an offer
that would be ridiculous to refuse, intending to go permanent when the job
was advertised as such at the end of the contract. Instead 5 years later I'm
still contracting (not with the same organisation), own a nice car and have
paid of off my mortgage sooner. Permanent or Contract is often more to do
with a persons particular circumstances and attitude at a given time. 

There doesn't seem to be that many Permanent Technical Communication
positions available that provide the same benefits that I have now. When I
find one then I'll apply for it. 

And even keeping up with technology may not guarantee employment. There are
many external sources as Peter mentioned that no-one has control over. How
many middle or senior manager made redundant in their middle age find
difficulty in finding employment!!

Diana

-----Original Message-----
From: nigeldawes [mailto:nigel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, 17 December 2004 9:26

Good point, Pete--i.e. it all depends on the company
you work for... I've been made redundant in perm.
possies a couple of times, so I guess I'm wrong when I
say that permanent jobs are more secure. I think the
most important aspect about ensuring your longevity in
the field is keeping up to date with technologies etc.

Have a tops day!

Friendly Regards
Nigel



-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of
Peter Rule
Sent: Friday, 17 December 2004 9:06 AM

Actually Nigel, I'm sure you'll find that contractors
have exactly the same commitments as anyone else.
Obviously, its not for everyone and I know alot of
people would agree with you about the security aspect
of a permanent job.

However, I think that actually it is a bit of a myth to
think that permanent jobs offer greater security than
contract jobs.  They may do; but I doubt whether its by
your own actions or efforts that the security is
guaranteed.  No matter how good you may be at the job,
it is essentially external reasons related to the
industry and the organisation that guarantee longevity
in that job; organisations shrink and expand, jobs
disappear and re-appear somewhere else, or indeed
things may stay the same.  This is all something that
most of us have little control over.  And in this
sense, contract jobs can be just as secure: and just as
insecure.


More to the
> point though, I really enjoy the relationships and
> intimacy that are forged during a long period of
> working with the same people.

Certainly I agree with this: but its a double edged
sword!

Cheers,

Pete


-----Original message-----
From: "nigeldawes" nigel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 08:06:49 +1100

> Hi Gang
>
> I'm wondering how many contractors out there have a
> mortgage and/or own a nice car? If you've got no
> financial commitments, then contracting sounds great.
> But, security and stability are for me... More to the
> point though, I really enjoy the relationships and
> intimacy that are forged during a long period of
> working with the same people.
>
> Merry Christmas!
> Nigel
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf
Of
> Fiona Currie
> Sent: Thursday, 16 December 2004 5:42 PM
>
>
> But doesn't the 85000 include danger money? ;o
> Peter Rule wrote: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
>
> > 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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