Posted by octopusprime on December 10, 2003, at 23:41:10
In reply to Re: What are you writing now?, posted by SydBarrett on December 10, 2003, at 12:15:20
> Technical writing is a good scene nowadays, but from what my cohorts who are involved in said form have told me, it sounds like they work you untill you are burnt out, then replace you. Sounds like a waste to me, but I understand the money is good in that area right now.
my experience has varied from those of your cohorts.
the money is solidly middle class. it's good compared to most jobs, but not as good as the money that some of my other friends are making in other fields with the same number of years out of school and similar degrees. (i have a technical degree).
i definitely have not been overworked. i can count on the fingers on one hand the number of times i have worked over 40 hours in a week in the last year. this is definitely a function of my working conditions.
i have never reported to management that truly understood my job, so i can do my own estimates and set my own schedule. i have relatively few deadlines, i can generally get to things when i get to them, and i can say "i don't have time to do that" when people ask me for stuff. plus, with no editor, i can turn in what i consider sub-par work, and it's perfectly acceptable to my (very small) audience (composed entirely of non-writers). my editing/revising/review process is practically non-existant (except in rare cases).
the management thinks that i'm brilliant (because work is being done), and there is no talk of replacement. (i did get axed in mass layoffs, though)
from what i can figure, my experience is atypical.
poster:octopusprime
thread:277656
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/books/20030426/msgs/288654.html