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The continuing discussion about what constitutes a "senior technical writer"
makes me laugh. In a very active market, such as exists in several places around
the country, a "senior writer" is one with 3 or more years of experience. In a
somewhat cooler market, a "senior writer" may be someone with 10-15 years of
experience, or someone like a programmer who likes to write. It all depends on
how desperate the market is, at the moment.
People, you just don't seem to get it: how valuable we are - and what kinds of
job titles the market will acknowledge - are a function of supply and demand. In
a market of scarcity for particular talents, you can call yourself God and people
will only blink quickly on their way to signing a check for you if you bring the
right set of skills to their needs and look like you can solve their problems
quickly and easily. On the other hand, when there are more people with talent
than there are openings for them, those with jobs to offer are likely to be a
little more careful about their requirements.
Further, Kat Nagel was right about companies with bean-counter mentalities -
those are places where the prevailing view always seems to be that cheaper is
ALWAYS better. And then they get what they pay for.
