Re: [Fwd: Re: Is this really a tech writing job?]

Subject: Re: [Fwd: Re: Is this really a tech writing job?]
From: Dick Margulis <margulisd -at- comcast -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 15:10:15 -0500




Sarah Stegall wrote:


I am not and never was talking about self-respect. The original issue was whether OTHER people respect technical writers who also do menial tasks that others are not asked to do.

Sarah,

I care how much money I make, because that helps determine how comfortably I live. But I don't equate money with respect in any way, shape, or form.

I cannot control and therefore _formally_ do not care about whether some other person respects me. (I have the same sense of frustration and outrage when someone shows their disrespect as anyone else; that's only human. But then I take a step back and realize it's their problem, not mine. So I move on.)

But as for being asked to do menial tasks, I have no problem with that. If others aren't asked to do those tasks, maybe it's because they have a history of whining and I don't. Maybe it's because they're currently working on a higher priority project than I am. And maybe I'm being asked to take responsibility for getting some menial job done, without any preconception of whether I'm going to do it myself or organize others to do it. I don't assume disrespect where none is explicitly offered.

Of course there will always be
the manager who, as Gene says, packs boxes in the warehouse. Of course there will be the project manager who answers the phone when no one else is around. My point, which I wearily repeat, is that these duties ARE NOT PART OF THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION.

Ummm, maybe that's where our attitudes differ. "It's not part of my job description" is something I expect to hear from a civil servant or a unionized laborer. And when I hear it, I generally walk away in disgust. If there's a job that needs to be done, sometimes it isn't part of _anyone's_ job description. So the next able-bodied person who walks by may just be the lucky volunteer. Maybe strict adherence to job descriptions flies in some kinds of organization, but not in any I've ever worked in or would ever want to work in.


They are not specifically paid
to do these things, and when they do them it is only under the understanding that they ARE doing the things they are paid to do; a CEO who spent all his time packing boxes (which anyone can do) instead of talking to investors, would not last long.

Yes. Meeting obligations for completing deliverables has a higher priority than painting the warehouse. But y'know what? Making coffee when the pot is empty has a higher priority than just about anything else. Go figure.


There is a world of difference between "helping out" and being REQUIRED to do menial tasks in addition to technical writing. (And please let's not get into a discussion about use of the word "menial". Filing is a menial job. Period.)

Okay, it's menial. Some people like to do menial work once in a while. It's an opportunity to meditate on the more difficult intellectual challenges that are the core of your job. Repetitive, menial work can be very soothing. When my ex-wife got herself into a lather over something or other, she'd pull out a pile of clothes to iron (clothes that otherwise accumulated in a pile for months on end, awaiting such an occasion). You may not need such refractory periods, but many creative people do.

How you measure self-respect is your own affair;
my concern is whether our 'profession' is being trivialized by people who post want ads for a secretary/tech writer, and people who see us that way.

As my mother taught me many years ago, consider the source. Other people's ignorance and thoughtlessness is a teaching opportunity, not an attack on your dignity. This IS about self-respect. If you know your value, then someone else's erroneous belief shouldn't diminish you.


If what this company needs is a part time technical writer,
they should state that and hire a part-time technical writer. Then they'd be free to hire the part-time secretary they need. Both could do their jobs without hindrance or loss of respect to their professions.

If they can find someone to do both part-time jobs, thereby qualifying for full-time benefits, it's a win-win situation, because the company keeps the headcount down. If they can't, maybe they'll look for two part-timers as you suggest; but that's their prerogative. I doubt that no disrespect is intended.

Dick

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References:
Re: [Fwd: Re: Is this really a tech writing job?]: From: Sarah Stegall

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