Re: Contractors have more experience? (Was "Entry level, again")

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- AXIONET -dot- COM>]

Beth Agnew <bagnew -at- INSYSTEMS -dot- COM> wrote:


>There is no doubt that contracting gives one a breadth of experience, but it >does not necessarily confer a depth of experience. There are also many
>variables in play, such as length of contract, quality of supervision and
>direction, use of tools, as well as an individual's capacity for
>learning and improvement, that contribute to "experience".

No argument from me. I maintain that the potential for depth of
experience
is greater in contracting, but of course the way that the contractor
takes
advantage of that potential matters, too.

Anyway, any argument from me on the subject is likely to be riddled with
self-justification :-)

>The person who went from "entry level to potential partner
>in 6 months" must have had a background that included
>some business and management skills (or I'd be concerned
>about the person evaluating him/her!)

Actually, the person was an ex-teacher and a published writer,in early
30s. I
suspect that teaching experience amounts to "management skills.". But
the
point is that, no matter how good the person is (and I was the person
evaluating), she probably wouldn't have had the chance to develop those
skills in a full-time position

--
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
Co-ordinator ,Vancouver Technical Communicators' Co-op List
Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 421-7189 or 687-2133
bbyfield -at- axionet,com or bruce -at- dataphile-ca -dot- com
www.outlawcommunications.com (update 8 June, 1998)

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