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Subject:RE: Where do 'old' techwriters go to die? From:"Nancy Smith" <smithcds -at- ici -dot- net> To:"'TECHWR-L'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 7 Dec 1999 11:25:40 -0500
I got into it by promotion.
Difference between being a pubs manager verses a tech
writer:
+ You start out feeling like a glorified admin. assistant --
getting what the writers need and troubleshooting for them!
(That does change, sorta'...)
+ You either don't get to write at all or you do the least
interesting grunt work part of the writing and/or you may
have to clean up some of your writers' writing!
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-10572 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-10572 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of
melonie -dot- mcmichael -at- amd -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 1999 8:56 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: Where do 'old' techwriters go to die?
Howdy,
O.k. for those of you who have become pubs managers, how
did you get there? Did you luck into the job, get promoted
into it, or get hired into it?
I'm starting to take on more managing type responsibilities
and
have discovered that I love it! Strangely enough, I find
budgeting,
projecting, planning, hashing things out, working with
people and
putting processes in place absolutely fascinating.
Also, what skills do you use the most in your position? What
is
different about being a pubs manager verses a tech writer?
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Elna Tymes [SMTP:etymes -at- lts -dot- com]
>
> Since I've been in the business for something over 30
years, I guess I
> have some
> perspective on this. Good tech writers generally tend to
follow a
> pattern: they
> put in some number of years as a salaried technical
writer, rising through
> the
> ranks and eventually becoming a project leader. From
there, the path is
> usually
> to pubs manager and contracting, usually with people going
in and out of
> both
> roles. More older writers tend to choose contracting if
they have the
> rest of
> their finances in order (esp. medical insurance) because
of the hassles
> inherent
> in pubs management - anywhere! Some stay as senior
writers in
> organizations that
> recognize the value of senior individual contributors.
Unfortunately, a
> lot of
> senior writers and pubs managers get re-orged out of their
companies just
> shy of
> full retirement pay, and have to make some important
decisions in a hurry.
>
>
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