UNDERPAID

Subject: UNDERPAID
From: "M. David Orr" <whitears -at- INTERACCESS -dot- COM>
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 13:53:38 -0500

In 1983 I got my first tech writing contract IM March for $1200. The manual
ended up being 120 pages--that's $10.00 a page or about $3.33 an hour.
Beginning tech writers were making $15,000 to $20,000 plus benefits then,
and beginning contractors about $20 an hour (experienced $30 to $40 an
hour). Did I get shafted? No, because I was trading money for an
opportunity.

I took the manual I wrote and got my next project for $20 an hour because I
had something to show. Within four months of the first project, I had
projects for $30 an hour and $40 an hour.

I think UNDERPAID should avoid playing victim and just calmly prepare for
the next phase--asking for more money at the same place or going to a
different place. Taking the salary issue personally can only cause harm.


----
M. David Orr
Orr & Associates/Usability Management
7366 N. Lincoln Ave., Suite 101
Lincolnwood, IL, USA 60646
Phone: 847-6771920
Fax: 847-677-7878
Mailto: whitears -at- orrnet -dot- com
Web site: http://www.orrnet.com




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