TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:RE Salary bell curve: on the downside From:"John Fleming" <johnf -at- ecn -dot- ab -dot- ca> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 14 May 2001 16:02:11 -0600
Well my fellow freelancer, if you are in a slump, and you aren't happy
with it, there is only one thing to do.
To borrow an idea from sales trainer Tom Hopkins, you've got to get
off your anatomy, get out in the field, and do some prospecting. If
the market is in a bit of a slump, you need to do a bit more
prospecting.
Consider the time you spent writing and marketing your book an
investment in yourself that will pay off somewhere down the road.
You've planted the seed, now it needs time to grow.
I'm sure that, with a little time and door knocking on your part, you
will soon be telling us that your earnings are starting to reflect
your experience.
> Subject: Salary bell curve: on the downside
> From: "Matthew Danda" <mattspam -at- dandaweb -dot- com>
> Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 14:40:50 -0400
> X-Message-Number: 3
> Hello all:
> Anyone else experiencing the down-side of the salary curve?
> I recently found an embarrassing post on TECHWRL I made about 3.5
years ago,
> bragging about how I had been reaping massive raises by job hopping.
> Funny thing has happened lately, as I end my 7th year in this
profession, I
> made the exact same that I made during my 2nd year. My 4th and 5th
years
> were pretty good, but since then my income has been steadily
dropping. A
> perfect Bell curve.
> Of course, there are circumstances. Namely, spending the last year
as a
> freelance writer pursuing book deals with a major publisher, instead
of
> working as a salary tech writer. It feels strange, though, to be at
the top
> of my form--having achieved published author status this year--yet
to be so,
> well, poor.
> If anything, after all my experiences, I'm still lean and hungry,
eyes set
> on the stars, and still unspoiled by cushy salary jobs or stock
options. At
> least, that's how I rationalize having a jam-packed resume with a
entry
> level income. Uh-oh, is this another cry of hubris that I'll be
embarrassed
> about later...?
> Matthew Danda
> Gainesville, FL (soon to be Prairie Village, KS)
> "Protect Yourself Online" (ISBN 0-7356-1188-2)
--
John Fleming
Technical Writer
Edmonton, Alberta
email: johnf -at- ecn -dot- ab -dot- ca
*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available now at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com
Sponsored by Information Mapping, Inc., a professional services firm
specializing in Knowledge Management and e-content solutions. See http://www.infomap.com or 800-463-6627 for more about our solutions.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.