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Subject:Re: How it all began From:Mitch Berg <mberg -at- IS -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 12 Feb 1997 11:09:28 -0600
Chris Betterton wrote:
> So how did everyone else get started? And then what happened?
I started in radio when I was 16, and stayed in the business until I was
29. At that time, with two kids and a third on the way, I realized that
the radio news business was shrinking, and that I didn't have a face for
TV - so I went into TechComm. Or tried...
...because, although I graduated with a minor in computer science in
1985, I didn't touch another computer until 1990. My skill, shall we
say, were out of date. I wound up temping for a while, as I learned to
run a word processor (WP5.1/DOS). Finally, I took a Ventura course at a
local tech school. The industry was pretty slow here in the Twin Cities
at the time (1992-3) - the defense industry layoffs had left the
TechComm market pretty bleak.
I started cold-calling companies in local industry directories, under
"Computer Software" in the Yellow Pages, even companies advertising for
programmers in the want ads, on the rationale that if they need
developers, they'll be needing writers soon. That's what landed my
first job - somebody knew someone at another company that needed a
writer. I landed my first contract - and I've been working steadily for
the last four years...
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