RE: Is recession proof? Instructional Technologists/Technical Writers

Subject: RE: Is recession proof? Instructional Technologists/Technical Writers
From: Lady Indira <lourdesindira -at- hotmail -dot- com>
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 21:00:21 -0400


Hello

Thank you so, so much for your message. You are right, and I like what you said about the people who write the articles on "recession - proof" jobs. Best advice I have heard in many, many years! Thanks again!

> Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:39:56 -0700
> From: klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com
> Subject: Re: Is recession proof? Instructional Technologists/Technical Writers
> To: lourdesindira -at- hotmail -dot- com
>
>
> I read your message on the tech-wrl list with great concern. With all due respect, I think you need to change your way of thinking. I write this in the hope that I can help you avoid a trap.
>
> THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "RECESSION PROOF." Please take that term out of your vocabulary. I have seen several industries that were touted as being recession proof. The city of Austin, where I live, because of the proliferation of high-tech companies here, used to brag that it was recession proof. I remember when the "new economy," based on the Internet and e-commerce, was spoken of by finance analysts as recession proof. They are all now in a deep, dark recession. If you think there is such a thing as "recession proof," you are setting yourself up to be very badly surprised and disappointed.
>
> I think the people who wrote those articles need to change their brand of opium because what they are smoking now is way too strong for them. Either that or they are shills being paid by someone to try and stir up good publicity. In any case, they are dead wrong.
>
> I've been a technical writer for nearly 20 years and I lived through the collapse when the tech stock bubble burst in 2001. I've seen a lot of people lose everything because they were careless in handling their money, because they thought their work was "recession proof."
>
> Instruction and technical writing are always among the FIRST groups to be cut when a company begins to suffer money problems. Those fields are seen as not being value-added. That is, the company sees them as not contributing to the market value of their products. They are considered a necessary evil at best, and when money gets tight, they go out the door. Technical writing in particular. Companies view technical writing as a commodity. When they need it they hire someone to do some of it, and when that immediate need is over the writer goes. So tech writers are very definitely seen as being expendable.
>
> If you are worried about finding a job that has potential to last through a business downturn, get a job that is more closely related to the core business of the industry. That means a job that companies see as being part of the process that creates marketable product. That means things like engineering, programming, database management, Web programming, or quality assurance work. Workers in those fields are more likely to be retained when a company shrinks, because they can quantify how their work affects the bottom line on the quarterly report. People in instructional design and tech writing can't do that. If you can show that your work in some way improved the company's finances, you are MUCH more likely to stay employed.
>
> Good luck. But keep in mind the incontrovertible fact that Plato was right: There is no safety this side of the grave. As long as you're breathing, anything can surprise you at any minute. There is no such thing as a sure thing in a horse race. There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is no such thing as "recession proof."
>
> I hope that I have helped in some way. Just please be careful, and realize there are no guarantees anywhere.
>
>
> --- On Fri, 7/24/09, Lady Indira <lourdesindira -at- hotmail -dot- com> wrote:
>
> > From: Lady Indira <lourdesindira -at- hotmail -dot- com>
> > Subject: Is recession proof? Instructional Technologists/Technical Writers
> > To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > Date: Friday, July 24, 2009, 10:47 AM
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > I want to know if instructional technology or technical
> > writing are recession-proof jobs. I have searched the
> > internet and read good things about both fields in terms of
> > the recession not affecting either career.
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Windows Live™ Hotmail®: Celebrate the moment with your
> > favorite sports pics. Check it out.
> > http://www.windowslive.com/Online/Hotmail/Campaign/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_QA_HM_sports_photos_072009&cat=sports
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >
> > Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers
> > developing Table of
> > Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as
> > Doc-To-Help
> > 2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
> > http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/
> >
> > Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for
> > individual
> > authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface.
> > Write
> > once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and
> > version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/
> >
> > ---
> > You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com -dot-
> >
> > To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> > techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/klhra%40yahoo.com
> >
> >
> > To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> >
> > Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
> > Visit
> > http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
> >
> > Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
> > http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat
> >
> >
>
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
Get free photo software from Windows Live
http://www.windowslive.com/online/photos?ocid=PID23393::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:SI_PH_software:082009
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/

Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.

Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat


Follow-Ups:

Previous by Author: Names for things, part 2
Next by Author: RE: Salary at a State University
Previous by Thread: Re: To continue OFF-TOPIC topics...
Next by Thread: Re: Is recession proof? Instructional Technologists/Technical Writers


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads