RE: What's wrong with this picture?

["Nuckols, Kenneth M" <Kenneth -dot- Nuckols -at- mybrighthouse -dot- com>]

Bonnie said...
> 
> Admittedly, it's far too early to draw any conclusions, but I wondered
> what
> the thoughts of the community here might be regarding the following:
> 
> I have received notification of a possible long-term software
> documentation
> job oppportunity in another city (from an author of a book I edited
last
> year) that pays (he says) $100 per hour or more. I will know whether I
> intend to pursue that opportunity on Tuesday. At least that's the
current
> plan. All I know is that the author said in an e-mail that he would
> contact
> me Tuesday afternoon.
> 
> Sounds too good to be true, right? Who pays $100 an hour for software
> documentation? What is "wrong" with this picture?
> 
> I know the company's identity and am assured that it is indeed well-
> situated
> to pay such a rate. It's also in an area of the country where there
would
> appear to be sufficient technical writers, so the author's contacting
me
> seems a bit odd, particularly because he knows me for my editing of
his
> multiauthor book and not for software documentation itself.
> 
> Until Tuesday, I can only wonder.
> 

I know this is a bit late in responding, but our office was closed
yesterday for the holiday. One thing I would be wary of is finding out
if they have budgeted a certain number of hours and are basing their pay
rate on that.  If they anticipate a certain number of hours (that seems
ridiculously low) and say their rate of pay is based on that estimate,
come back with a realistic estimate of the number of hours and find out
if the hourly rate they want to pay changes.

My guess may be far off the mark, but it sounds like they're estimating
this project as though it were some other industry they know
better--such as the legal or construction industry--where they may
estimate the number of hours and bill based on the quantity to arrive at
what seems to them a "reasonable" total.

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