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: Tech Comm Survey From:sueahrenhold -at- ameritech -dot- net To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 13 Oct 2004 08:03:45 -0600
First, let's admit that this job wasn't new 10 or 20 years ago. Demand
exploded a few years ago, and is now returning to more historic levels.
1. How long have you been a technical communicator?
16 years
2. Have you noticed changes in software programs that you use? Explain
briefly.
I first wrote using vi and Troff on Unix - they're both still around, but
I don't use them much any more.
I've also edited on paper copy, and supervised keyers who entered into TeX
(very heavy math)
My first version of Word was 1.2. It crashed. All the time.
I also remember waxers. Still can recall the smell.
3. Have you noticed a change in salary? Explain briefly.
Yeah, I now get paid about what a junior MBA does.
4. Do the tasks that you complete now vary from what you did when you
began working in this field? Explain briefly.
I'm now much more into documenting hardware and hardware-software
interfaces. I like it a lot.
I get more of the scut work now - I type myself, proofread my own work
(bad idea), and find that many people don't have a clue what a good writer
can do.
5. How many times have you changed jobs or relocated? 5 job changes - two
were my idea - I've also had a company bought out from under me and
relocated, a company go from 100 to 10, and once was laid off when all the
writers who made over 50K were dumped. Judging by the documentation I've
seen recently, they're getting what they pay for.
ROBOHELP X5: Featuring Word 2003 support, Content Management, Multi-Author
support, PDF and XML support and much more!
TRY IT TODAY at http://www.macromedia.com/go/techwrl
WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT: New! Document review system for Word and FrameMaker
authors. Automatic browser-based drafts with unlimited reviewers. Full
online discussions -- no Web server needed! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
