Re: Conceit, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Competition (long)

["Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM>]

At 09:59 AM 8/11/98 -0500, Jane wrote:
>Yes, as a trained, qualified, graduate-of-the-school of hard knocks, I
>am VERY concerned about people coming in and taking jobs. I witness it
<SNIP>
>The sad part of this is that they DO find jobs. In this area,
>tech writers appear to be in demand and less experienced people are
>willing to work for less. They may be pretty good, but there are none of
>them who would not be better with a little training.

So, are you truly afraid of them taking YOUR job, or
do you begrudge them the opportunity to get ANY job?
"Tech writers in demand, less experienced writers
willing to work for less" seems like a good situation to
me, or am I missing something? I'd say that the great
part is that they find jobs--employers can get what they
pay for, everyone gets jobs, everyone wins. Right?

By the way, count me firmly in the class of "would improve
with appropriate training." I'm still learning about the
profession, technology, and how to communicate more
effectively.

<Semantic disagreement snipped as unresolvable and
probably not worth pursuing.>

>Flipping burgers got you through school....school is what made you a
>technical writer.

Nope. Hard work and a series of employers and
positions with responsibility, opportunity, and room
for growth made me a technical writer. I'd been
a technical writer for three years before I finished
my MA coursework, and five before I finished my
thesis.

I started with a boss who looked at my degree and
random experience (that I argued was relevant) and said
that he thought I could grow into a technical writer. He was
willing to give me a chance, and give me substantive
projects off the bat to prove myself. He also
required, as a condition of employment, that I take
the tech writing class that he taught (he paid for
it).

My next boss thought that "technical writing
programs" at the university level were more or less
a waste of time, but he gave me lots of responsibility,
lots of freedom to learn and grow, and, initially, enough of a
safety net that I couldn't really screw anything up
(my mistakes would stop on his desk). I also had
the opportunity to really prove myself as a technical
writer--to a very vocal audience.

That's how I became a technical writer. My MA in
technical communication gives me the tools to
put names and reputations behind my instincts
(e.g., to say that I like ABC _because_  of
concrete, research-based, empirically demonstrated,
publications, rather than simply saying that
I prefer ABC), but I'd be just as much a technical
writer without the degree. (Come to think of it,
I've yet to encounter anyone who cares about the
degree when looking for new contract gigs or
book projects.)

Eric





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* Eric J. Ray, ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com, http://www.raycomm.com/
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