radical revamping of techpubs

[Technical Writer]

Contract exclusively, preferably three- to six-month. Contractors tend to be more fully focused on task completion, and doing the job right, both of which suit my inclinations perfectly. "Full-time" work becomes more a social issue, in which the most importance is attached to "fitting in with the existing culture." Because a substantial part of my training is to create those cultures, I have a much different perspective on them.
 
Example; education. If the hiring manager has a BS, anyone with a more advanced degree will be considered a potential rival--regardless of what positive contribution he or she might make to the organization. Similarly, if you have spent the last three or four years as a project manager, and are now applying for a developer or tech writer position, you are almost guaranteed to be considered a potential adversary, sight unseen.
 
Why would anyone with experience as a manager want a developer or tech writer position? More jobs, more opportunities, less hassle, less effort. Lots of IT people switch from doer to manager and back. Keeps up the job interest, keeps it challenging, a myriad of reasons. Most work as contractors, and politely decline offers of "full-time" work as the equivalent of being purchased as a "wage slave" by an organization that clearly understands it can more easily manipulate its employees than it can manipulate contractors. A gold star, an Employee-of-the-Month certificate, recognition, congratulations on a job well-done, flattery, perhaps even a favored parking spot for a month--have meaning only to those many contractors refer to as "lifers."
 
 
 
http://www.tekwrytrs.com/Specializing in the Design, Development, and Production of:Technical Documentation - Online Content - Enterprise Websites> Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:24:48 -0700> From: athloi at yahoo.com> Subject: RE: radical revamping of techpubs> To: tekwrytr at hotmail.com> > Interesting. All of this has helped me with an upcoming article on this> topic. It sounds like you've had some industry experience. If you don't> mind me asking, do you normally seek contract or full-time work? Trying> to make that decision here myself.> > --- Technical Writer <tekwrytr at hotmail.com> wrote:> > > > > Not really. Some agile programmers specialize in a perpetual> > work-in-process, sometimes with 20-30 programmers building a software> > application that seems a moving target, with "new and unanticipated> > requirements" surfacing frequently. It is in the best interest of the> > developer to cater to change (one of the basic mottos of Extreme> > Programming is "Embrace Change"), and the more "requirements" change,> > for whatever reason, the less pressure to "complete the project." > > > > From the perspective of a developer, each iteration is "completion,"> > because they are paid on a regular basis, not for completion of the> > project. Project managers use various carrot-and-stick techniques to> > try to keep control of the situation, with less than impressive> > results.http://www.tekwrytrs.com/Specializing in the Design,> > Development, and Production of:Technical Documentation - Online> > Content - Enterprise Websites> Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:59:44 -0700>> > From: athloi at yahoo.com> Subject: RE: radical revamping of techpubs>> > To: tekwrytr at hotmail.com; rinnie1 at yahoo.com;> > framers at lists.frameusers.com> > For any project that size, won't it> > take some months for it to> complete, as it will for the docs to be> > done, which means that the TW> is first going to be assembling> > information and writing known parts of> the doc, and then expanding> > to write as parts of the software become> formalized?> > ---> > Technical Writer <tekwrytr at hotmail.com> wrote:> > > I said that in an> > ambiguous, undefined software project> > (which many, including> > multi-million dollar, tend to be), it is> > pointless to create> > documentation of an application that may--and> > probably> > will--change at the next iteration.> > >> > http://technical-writing.dionysius.com/> technical writing |> > consulting | development> >> > __________________________________________________> Do You Yahoo!?>> > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around >> > http://mail.yahoo.com > > _________________________________________________________________> > Climb to the top of the charts!  Play Star Shuffle:  the word> > scramble challenge with star power.> >> http://club.live.com/star_shuffle.aspx?icid=starshuffle_wlmailtextlink_oct> > > http://technical-writing.dionysius.com/> technical writing | consulting | development> > __________________________________________________> Do You Yahoo!?> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com 
_________________________________________________________________
Climb to the top of the charts!  Play Star Shuffle:  the word scramble challenge with star power.
http://club.live.com/star_shuffle.aspx?icid=starshuffle_wlmailtextlink_oct