Flexibility and Technical Writing

[Sandra -dot- Downs -at- cbs -dot- fiserv -dot- com]

Viewing the results of the current TECHWR-L poll, I found it interesting
that most respondents "ALWAYS" or "OFTEN" find their companies flexible as
to their work or family issues.

I went from contracting to full-time employment last year on a hunch. When
I interviewed for my current position, I was impressed with the apparent
cohesiveness and friendliness of the documentation team, the laid-back
style of the boss, and the reputation the company had locally with being
family-friendly. I accepted this offer in lieu of another full-time offer
that paid $16k more, since the second company wanted me to be a lone
writer, and "oh, we might want you to do some RPG programming once in a
while."  That, and the fact the boss rescheduled my interview twice because
of her nervous breakdown made me leery of accepting that position.

It was my intent to get fully out of the programming biz (I've been in
transition to tech writing for a decade, and am an author in real life)
because of the stress. Although my skills come into play (it's an AS/400
shop) in interpreting specs and reading code, I don't have to program here,
and my skills complement the rest of the team.

So....did you simply choose a good corporate environment, or is your
situation flexible because you're a contractor? We've heard plenty about
the bosses and clients from hell...how about the flip side?

Cheers, Sandy


Sandra Friend Downs
Technical Writer
Fiserv CBS International


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