RE: Fw: 47. RE: Okay all you independent contractors: hit the bricks with THI---S

[Rose -dot- Wilcox -at- pinnaclewest -dot- com]

<<
>Hi Bruce,
>
>So if I ever have to write marketing (God forbid), sounds like technical 
>marketing would be the way to go. 
>
It's not so bad. Try it. Come over to the dark side....

Seriously, technical marketing has at least two advantages over 
technical writing.

First, it often pays better, especially if you're on contract. Clients 
seem willing to pay more for marketing material than for technical 
writing, sometimes as much as 50% more.

Second,  while the marketing budget is often cut during hard times, it's 
usually cut some time after technical writing is. And even then, it may 
not be cut as deeply. I don't know how I would have survived in the last 
two years without some steady marketing working. Until this spring, 
technical writing jobs were scare for me.

Other points, that may or may not be an advantage, depending on your 
interests and personalities:

- You get the chance to indulge your typographical inclinations legitimately

- It helps gives you a larger variety of things to do.

For me, these last two are the greatest advantages that marcom offers.

-- >>


Those are persuasive arguments, Bruce.  I have dabbled in marcom throughout my career as a technical writer.  (My career has given me a lot of variety of things to do -- much more than just user manuals -- but that might be a combination of my personal nature and the nature of the market here in Phoenix).  

I am currently on a long-term contract, and although I have every reason to assume I will be extended this fall, you never know what will happen.  Do you have any suggestions for how I could position myself for a switch from technical writing to marcom?  I've done proposals, presentations, and press releases in previous jobs, but nothing much in those lines recently.  Are there any tools that would be good to learn?  Any freebies that you would suggest I look into writing during these ensuing months?  Any learning resources you find indispensable?

Thanks in advance,


Rosie

Rose A. Wilcox
CHQ, 17th Floor
Tranz1 QA/Documentation
602-250-2435
Rose -dot- Wilcox -at- PinnacleWest -dot- com

If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living.
--Seneca, Epistles 






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