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Pete wondered: <<I'm thinking about doing some freelance work on the
side and I'm curious what that part of the tech writing world looks
like. Are software companies keen to outsource their documentation
work? Has anyone had good success in this?>>
Can't speak to the technical writing side of things, as I haven't
done this in a few years now, but I'm in the editing business and
love the work. In fact, I can't imagine returning to wage slavery
again. (Of course, the boss sucks, but one must accept certain
compromises. <g>)
Technical writing work will be hard to do while you have full-time
employment because the communication requirements (access to SMEs and
hands-on time with the product if it's something physical) are high
compared with editing, and because the scheduling and deadlines can
be a nightmare. Because the projects tend to be larger in scope than
is the case with editing, it can also be harder to fit them into your
weekly schedule -- particularly if you're already doing 10+ hours per
day to meet your own deadlines. That way lies madness -- or at least
exhaustion, and the likelihood that you'll be sufficiently tired that
you can screw up your work on the day job. That's both unethical, and
an unwise career strategy.
That being said, for smaller projects with good management and less
insane deadlines, there's no reason you can't dabble a bit in
freelancing, provided the client understands and accepts the
constraints imposed by your full-time job. Over time, you may even be
able to transition gradually -- for example, by reducing your work
week at your employer (if they can spare you for a day or two per
week) or even freelancing for your employer if they're modern in
their attitudes to telecommuting or employee retention. I did this
when I was getting started, so I know it can work.
If you end up full-time freelancing, you need to be aware of the
freelancer's curse: the work tends to be feast or famine, and you
need to put aside significant sums of money against the lean times.
That's doubly true if you find yourself a niche in which most of your
clients will tend to have the same deadlines (e.g., for consumer
electronics, that may be the annual Comdex show). In that case, it
also helps to develop a healthy network of subcontractors who can
pitch in on your behalf when you run out of hours in the week. Better
still, diversifying by finding clients with different busy periods
can smooth out the craziness.
----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
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