Re: FWD: Unpaid?

[Sella Rush <sellar -at- APPTECHSYS -dot- COM>]

Dear anonymous:

While $10 an hour does seem very low, there are a few issues you should take
into account.

The biggie is location.  Washington State covers a lot of diverse ground.
Are you located in or near the greater Seattle area (Everett to Redmond to
Olympia) or Portland?  If so, then you are definitely underpaid, because
there are so many more lucrative opportunities available.

If, however, you live in a more remote area, such as on the Olympic
Peninsula or on the east side of the Cascades, then the salary might be
lower for several reasons:  a non-existent demand for tech writers, cost of
living, etc.  While in Seattle your worth may be closer to $20/hour (for a
full time employee, not a contractor), you have to decide how much you value
being able to stay where you are (not to mention being able to work at
home).

Recently I explored the possibility of moving to Amarillo Texas.  The
high-tech industry is nearly non-existent there--there are experienced
computer programmers begging for jobs in that town.  Based on the cost of
living figures, I would have to make about 75 percent of my current salary
to break even, but the point was moot because there were literally no jobs
in my field.  I might have been able to find a writing job (most likely
related to manufacturing or health care)but no where near a comparable
salary.

Sella Rush
mailto:sellar -at- apptechsys -dot- com
Applied Technical Systems (ATS)
Bremerton, Washington
Developers of the CCM Database