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We should probably note for the benefit of
the majority of readers on this list, in the context of this discussion Ed's use of the word "contractor" is very different from the normal tech comm usage.
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jun 29, 2015, at 9:37 PM, Ed <glassnet -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
>
> There are two major contractor employment bins, in my opinion. One bin has contractors directly supporting the mission, or the building of weapons systems. The other bin is filled with contractors who support the logistics efforts of DoD. In bin #1 your job is stable so long as DoD and foreign military sales are growing. In bin #2 much of the effort is duplicative, and has to be done that way because of the inefficiencies that naturally occur with big gov't and their dealing with contractors. I suspect bin #2 has seen more cuts.
>
> The trend for the last decade is fewer DoD contractor employees.
>http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/defense-industry-shrinking-110321.html
> There are pockets of strength in tech writing (DC, SD, etc.) but the trend is moving away from the pay that writers were making. Now the branches are a bit smarter, and getting that work done (or not done) by cheaper labor. There's also a shift away form the big companies to smaller ones, meaning fewer benefits. Some of the larger companies created new divisions so different benefits could be offered. The executive largesse is supposedly smaller, too.
>
> Another very significant point is that if you are coming out of service with relevant experience with combat systems, logistics, etc., then the new jobs are yours.
>
> There are also federal workforce reductions to contend with. If you are a federal worker who is subject to that, then you get first pick of many of the GS openings.
>
> The good news is that as one industry closes doors, others are ticking upward.
>
>> On Mon, Jun 29, 2015 at 2:49 PM, Rick Lippincott <rjl6955 -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
>> Well...yes and no.
>>
>> Up tempo operations often translate into higher requirements for maintenance, inspection, repair, and modification instructions...both during and after the operations.
>>
>>
>>
>> -Rick Lippincott
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> > On Jun 29, 2015, at 1:13 PM, Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com> wrote:
>> >
>> > The job market for defense-sector tech writers is not very closely
>> > related to how much actual military action going on. It's tied more to
>> > R&D spending.
>> >
>> > Some defense industries cross over into civilian markets. For example,
>> > in the next ten years there will probably be a lot more jobs for tech
>> > writers documenting drone applications and infrastructure for the
>> > civilian market, since that's poised for exponential growth as
>> > regulations open up opportunities.
>> >
>> > On Mon, Jun 29, 2015 at 9:12 AM, Sean Brierley
>> > <sean -dot- brierley -at- gerberscientific -dot- com> wrote:
>> >> With wars looming in Iran and North Korea, not to mention a strong
>> >> possibility of troops going into Iraq to fight Isil? I'm sure the defense
>> >> industry has plans to keep business strong. The question is, are technical
>> >> communicators part of that future, or overhead?
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>
>
> --
> Ed
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