atw: Re: Fields of Tech Communication
- From: "Steve Hudson" <adslyy5g@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 11:16:45 +1100
#1: Repurposing. Come on, there must be dozens more ways to make yourself
indispensable around the shop:
* Document the SDLC and provide automated templates for use across all
phases
* Help out Marcoms with a full range of services
* Control textual content of the s/w, provide interface design
* Help review code comments, build extractors to get out the meat of
programmers notes inline with code
#2: Your real question. Yes, you can get lucky, and certainly these days the
field is ripe. 2000-4 left a scar on many of us though. Getting work across
the internet is damned hard, and you have to have been established for years
or cough up and join an association that does that. The contracting market
is picking up and many new companies are being exposed to technical writers.
Let's just say permanent work makes for easier budgeting :-)
Steve Hudson
Word Heretic, Sydney, Australia
Tricky stuff with Word or words for you.
www.wordheretic.com
ABN: 86 453 419 554
"Qualified Good Tech Writer Dude"
Free Association of Words
Without prejudice
-----Original Message-----
From: Ilana Cohney
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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