Re: exposing the soft underbellyof "merit raises" (was: Re: Finding a good job title)

Subject: Re: exposing the soft underbellyof "merit raises" (was: Re: Finding a good job title)
From: Scott Turner <sturner -at- airmail -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2001 09:42:20 -0600

Bruce said, in part:

But, the point is, no other high tech job seems to chase after
titles the way that tech writers do. Programmers might like to be
team leaders or CTOs, but they don't worry much about titles.
Web-designers like fanciful names like "ibuilder" instead of
"webmaster," but, these titles seem as much a joke as anything else.
>The insecurity seems a unique one.

It's the old salary-grade/head-room game.



<SNIP>



It's no mystery to me why people fuss over job titles. (Mine have
included such esoterics as "principal publications consultant" and my
current title "document architect.")

Deborah Snavely


Of course titles matter, almost as much as the amount of pay.

Ever wonder why Vice Presidents, Managers, Directors, have those titles, and insist upon them?

For the same reason that the Soviet and Chinese Peoples Armies both reverted to rank titles, after the revolutions.

Titles establish lines of authority. This is part of what we are struggling with daily. Is it any wonder that some developers don't respect tech writers? That management doesn't respect what we do? It is partly because they have no reference to our authority. What we do is often perceived as fluff, not germane to the core value of the product. Enforcing a better perception of our works value would be easier if there were authority behind what we do.

Just a view of reality. Yours might be different.

Scott

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