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Aw: Certifications, classes, etc., to enhance career?
Subject:Aw: Certifications, classes, etc., to enhance career? From:e -dot- dickinson -at- gmx -dot- net To:Jason L <dotlogue -at- gmail -dot- com> Date:Tue, 13 Aug 2024 21:54:24 +0200
Hello Jason,
I think in general it's advisable to stay with the classical approach:
Once you know where you are going, you will be able to determine
suitable certification.
Contracting apparently has become a hype since the pandemic made many
more things possible, over here in Europe just as much. Especially
among writers.
I am not that kind of a person, yet lay-offs are not unusual around
here, too. Alas.
I would advise you to check the latest and most used skills and
applications, depending on which kind of industry you are heading. Or
plan to change your path towards.
The general idea seems to be this:
* IT-businesses often have amazing growth rates but they tend to be
unstable in a comparatively new market (a couple of decades now).
* The more traditional industries tend to be more stable and reliable
because the markets as well as the procedures to reach customers or
prospectives are better known.
I would also advise you to start thinking a different way: 'Seasoned'
*sounds* a little as if having been around for while is a drawback.
It's not!
Most of us learn early on to 'think on their feet'!
Make an asset of your experience, your apt prioritizing, your handling
of crises (if any) or your way with learning. As examples. Perhaps with
some thought yet you will think of more specials skills, apart form the
certificates, in your CV.
Good luck!
Kind Regards
Nina
Gesendet: Dienstag, 13. August 2024 um 19:50 Uhr
Von: "Jason L" <dotlogue -at- gmail -dot- com>
An: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Betreff: Certifications, classes, etc., to enhance career?
Hello,
TL; DR version: What, if any, certifications (Scrum certification,
PMP?),
skills, objectives (e.g, personal website), etc., do you recommend to
make
a seasoned technical writer more marketable, especially if they would
like
to get a permanent position?
I've been a technical writer for around 25 years. Around five years
ago, I
moved from a job writing and documenting for legacy software tools, and
not
growing in my career, to a new company with a large and robust
documentation team and new technologies (CMS, DITA XML, etc). I started
training on their CMS, DITA and some XML, and then after 2 months I got
laid off as part of a last in first out downsizing. I've kept in touch
with
people from the team and almost all of them, including my managers and
mentors, were laid off within a few years as well.
Since that time I've been doing contract work through staffing
agencies.
I've been working primarily for health care and IT-oriented companies,
and
I've typically been working with their Governance and Risk Compliance
teams
on SOC 2, NIST, and HITRUST certification remediation. I enjoy working
in
this field, and I have tried to pivot to a business analyst or GRC
roles,
but with mixed results.
I enjoy contracting, but I would like to see if I can get a permanent
position. What are some things I could do to enhance my career? Should
I
lean in more to my current field - IT and Healthcare - and go for some
security training? Or should I focus on project management
training/certifications? And even if I continue to stay with contract
work,
what are some of your tips for positioning yourself for good contracts?
Thanks so much for your assistance!
Sincerely,
Jason Logue
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