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> under my belt, I don't
> actually have a professional portfolio.
I use one criteria (criterium?) when detirmining what
to place in my portfolio.
Ya'know when you create a page, chapter, document, web
page, and when you print a copy, you think to yourself
"Hot-d**n, I'm good".
Come'on, admit it..we all think that at times.
That's when I know it's a portfolio candidate. As far
as unfinished work...you don't need to create a
finished work to be able to abstract samples; a page
with a great graphic, maybe a dynamite TOC, a really
complex-but-attractive index page. Also, just
becau4se the software didn't get burned into CD
doesn't mean you can't show documentation you did for
it. It also doesn't havce to be typeset output to
include in the portfolio..you can show laser-printed
pieces of the manual, crop marks and all.
Maybe instead of the user manual, show the FRS
(Functional Requirement Spec) or something that DID
get finished. One of my primary pieces in my
portfolio is a section from a User Manual that maybe
even to this day hasn't gone out the door.
Remember...the evaluation of material in a portfolio
is that you know how to do YOUR part; write. Getting
software out the door is someone elses area and just
because THEY can't get their act together doesn't mean
you don't have yours.
> I have found this thread to be fascinating. I also
> realized that I do not
> have an updated portfolio. The software I documented
> at my previous (and
> first) job turned into vaporware, and the manual was
> never finished, let
> alone printed. At my current (second) job, I don't
> write print
> documentation at all. So, with two years experience
What do you do...online help? I have some before and
after help pages that I've printed. Web? Again, you
can print web pages. You don't have to have active
links to show you know how to compose a well-designed
page layout.
=====
John Posada, Merck Research Laboratories
Sr Technical Writer, WinHelp and html
(work) john_posada -at- merck -dot- com - 732-594-0873
(pers) jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com - 732-291-7811
Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
Benjamin Franklin
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