TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:RE: Out of Work Tech Writers From:"Margaret Secara" <margaret -dot- secara -at- alphather -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 19 Jun 2002 15:39:20 -0700
Exactly. I really am a writer, not just someone who happens to write for a living. I do this because I do it well and because I love it--also it pays pretty well. I did take a job I hated last summer, at about 1/3 my contract writing rate. It was better than nothing, and better than MacDonald's, but it wasn't a new career. I couldn't afford for it to be, and (according to my overseers, uh, supervisors) I wasn't good enough at it, either.
Happily, I was exactly the right person for an good contract in October and a "perm" job in March and will never even acknowlege that hole again except to the IRS. So don't worry. The panic is normal, but stay cool. If someone offers even a short contract, take it. Something better will pop up eventually :) In the mean time, as everyone will tell you, take the "free" time to learn something new, work on your resume, consider relocating. Go to job fairs. Start your novel.
Cheers!
Maggie Secara
>>> Shannon Luce <Shannon -dot- Luce -at- GE-interlogix -dot- com> Wednesday, June 19, 2002 >>>
"All perspective, I suppose.... :-)"
Good point. I think that I am a technical writer/editor, not just a person
who does it for a living. Granted, if I were out of work, I'd accept a job
doing something else, but I'd probably keep looking for a tech
writing/editing job. I cannot think of another job/career that I would
enjoy, that I am qualified for, and that would pay my bills. Sad, but true.
I'm glad that I have a tech writing/editing job, even if I do have a 45-mile
commute:)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.
Check out RoboDemo for tutorials! It makes creating full-motion software
demonstrations and other onscreen support materials easy and intuitive.
Need RoboHelp? Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in May with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
