Re: Working for a subcontractor

[John Posada <jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

> I'd like to hear other people's opinions about working for a
> subcontractor. 

Lisa...it is obvious that mentally, you aren't suited to be a
contractor. That's not a slam...I'm not suited to be an employee.

> In my experience it is much better for the technical writer 
> to work in a company. 
> That is, if you have a choice...

Different people look to their career for different things...you are
looking for the comraderie, fellowship, and emotional stability. It
appears that you would be happiest in an environment where once a
month, everyone gets together to roast marshmallows and sing Kumbaya.
I've had the choice often...been asked to convert, said no.

> who want to hire a technical writer to cut expenses...but for the
> TW the 
> situation isn't that rosy. It might be just a question of
> personality, but I 
> think that no self-respecting individual should go through some
> of the stuff I have experienced already during these few months...

I, on the other hand, am in it for the money and because I like to do
things the way I want to do them. I have no patience for spending
hours with my management defining my Professional Development Plan
for the coming year or filing out self-evaluation forms (my
evaluation form is my time sheet...if at the end of the two weeks, my
boss signs it without question, I pass for another week). 

If I want training, I want the training that I want, not what my
company thinks will make me a greater asset.

I want to be paid well for all the time I work (last time sheet was
109 hours for two weeks), and I don't want to be paid for any time I
don't work (I take 3 weeks vacation a year and I'll break 160k this
year)...and I don't have to ask permission or take my vacation within
specified windows of time.

I use my own equipment and my own software...the stuff is pretty
SOTA...and because of that (among other factors), I'm more efficient
in what I do (my boss just thinks I'm better (shhhh...)

At the same time, I'm recognized by some of the highest-positioned
people in my group...the boss of the boss of my boss (and he's pretty
high up himself) waves at me in the cafeteria and says hello by name
(BTW..the company is Fortune 500, so we're not talking about 100
total people).

In summary...different people want different things from their
job...because you don't get what you want doesn't mean that the
approach to the career is not worthy of the respect that others are
getting in gobs.

(The rest of the message I snipped because the tone of it came off to
me that YOU don't have the respect for contract writers that you want
the employer to have and if you don't show respect, you get none...
that's what you are experiencing.)

=====
John Posada, Senior Technical Writer
"I am a bomb disposal expert. If you see me running, try to keep up."
mailto:john -at- tdandw -dot- com, 732-259-2874

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger
http://im.yahoo.com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and 
three and a half days of immersion in the state of the art:
IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe.  http://ieeepcs.org/2001/

  +++  Miramo -- Database/XML publishing automation.  See us at  +++
  +++  Seybold SFO, Sept. 25-27, in the Adobe Partners Pavilion  +++
  +++ More info: http://www.axialinfo.com  http://www.miramo.com +++

---
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.