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Subject:Re: career advice please! From:Michael Priestley <mpriestl -at- CA -dot- IBM -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 20 Aug 1999 12:43:18 -0400
Samantha wrote:
>Long-term, I am hoping to work in a large IT firm as a technical
>writer/information designer. I guess my dream would be IBM, Microsoft, or a
>large software company. Could people possibly let me know how they think I
>could get to this goal?
First off, feel free to email me. I work at the IBM Toronto Lab (I notice
your
email address is from the TTC), and I think it's a great place to work.
Based on your current resume, I'm betting you'd get an interview, though
you're right that more programming experience would help (the lab's main
products are all geared towards techies). If you're interested, attach your
resume when you email me, and I'll forward it to the appropriate folks.
Lonestar replied:
>Having been in the business of
>imparting and institutionalizing knowledge for well known and lesser known
>corporations, I can advise you that the lesser known can provide greater
>opportunities and more satisfying experiences, and still endue you
>professionally.
Your mileage may vary.
My own experience with IBM in Toronto has been generally very positive.
They've given me a lot of support and career opportunities. A lot of
my co-workers worked at small companies before moving to IBM, and
are really happy with the move. Of my ex-co-workers who have left
IBM over the last five years, mostly for smaller companies, the majority
have regretted it.
>Compare this to smaller corporations that treat their technical
>writers like gods.
Also compare it to smaller corporations who treat their technical writers
like
dirt. Basically in a smaller corporation, the owner's personality can
determine
a lot. If you get a benevolent dictator, you're in luck. If you get a
power-mad
psychotic dictator, you're not so in luck.
The good thing about a large company, if it has any sort of processes for
accountability, is that the power-mad psychotic managers are quietly
eliminated
after a year or so of underperformance and high turnover. Dictators tend to
be less accountable.
>If the hope is that you
>will improve your earning power by being employed by a large concern, think
>again. It wont. I have found that the best remunerated writers are actually
>in the small corps you probably drive by every day.
Again, your mileage may vary. The pay rates for technical writers here are
extremely competitive - we're paid on the same scale as the programmers.
I haven't found any place in Toronto that pays better, and I keep my ears
open on principle.
>You may want to work for one
>of the "big boys" for prestige. You know, like the scribe boasting he works
>for Pharaoh. If so, that's understandable. Good luck.
I think a simpler answer is stability, career potential, and type of work,
though I shouldn't speak on Samantha's behalf. Basically there's a lot of
room for growth without having to switch companies. If you like the people,
and you don't like the stress of switching companies to "grow" your career,
a big company can offer a good mix of stability and growth potential.
Of course, the prestige doesn't suck either. :-)
Take care,
Michael Priestley
Information Developer
IBM Toronto Lab
mpriestl -at- ca -dot- ibm -dot- com
