Re: Job outlook...

[Troy Klukewich <tklukewich -at- sbcglobal -dot- net>]

Re:
 
<quote>
I'm thinking about moving back to the Bay Area in a few months and I was wondering if any of you had an idea of the job landscape out there.
</quote>
 
I'm hearing from others in Silicon Valley that things are looking pretty good, at least for writers with some experience and specialized skills. In some cases, my associates and I have fielded multiple offers. 
 
I do believe the market is maturing, now looking for experienced writers and may favor the mid to senior positions.
 
I recently picked up a new job and had a number of viable options in the Bay Area (San Francisco/Silicon Valley). I was also interested in telecommuting as part of the package.
 
Both Oracle and IBM have generous work at home policies and fairly flexible work hours. Smaller companies may also offer similar options.
 
With senior experience, I got much better results from larger companies than smaller.
 
Salary depends on the number of years and the content domain. For instance, in software (my area) it helps if you have ERP, API, scripting, programming language (especially Java), or other comparable technical experience. 
 
Technical plus business oriented thinking is a powerful combination. Many documentation managers are looking for writers who can analyze user needs as opposed to merely document the UI. The UI is increasingly web-based and there is only so much you can write about for a web page. Business processes, on the other hand, are increasingly more complex.
 
Also, it helps if you are up on structured documentation, XML, and localization requirements as many larger companies are moving or have moved in this direction.
 
Larger companies tend to command higher salaries and better benefits for the equivalent position. The allure of stock options are greatly diminished, so base packages are the primary forms of compensation in most cases.
 
Best of luck.
 
Troy Klukewich
Information Architect
Oracle

----- Original Message ----
From: Jeff Scattini <jeff -dot- scattini -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 1:30:06 AM
Subject: Job outlook...


Hello all,

I'm thinking about moving back to the Bay Area in a few months and I was
wondering if any of you had an idea of the job landscape out there.
Especially telecommuting positions. I've looked at Salary.com for ideas on
wage expectations, but I'm not entirely certain where I fall on the scale. I
think I've been away too long.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jeff Scattini
.
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