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.
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Byfield [mailto:bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com]
>First, some perspective:1.5 hours is not an unusual commute. Thousands
-
>maybe millions - do it for years on end.
Really? I did an 85-mile, 90-minute commute when I was first getting
into technical writing as a college intern. If I did it today, I'd
expect to be compensated for it.
>You were very lucky in your previous arrangements, and I imagine that
you
>and your family have grown accustomed to life built around them,
Lucky? Or they were arranged by the employee with the employer.
>but your new commute is far from a hardship case.
But, it is a very severe change of working conditions, the kind of thing
that screams for union protection. Seriously, it would be like your
employer coming in tomorrow and saying, "we're cutting your annual
salary by $10,000 _and_ giving you an 11-hour workday. Think about it,
wear and tear on the car, plus fuel, plus the time to commute . . ..
I think the situation is outrageous.
>Second,some advice: learn to use your commute constructively.
Agreed.
>I spent two years commuting three hours a day to university, and did
>most of my course reading on the bus. <snip> but it couldn't have
>hurt me that much, since I had a nearly perfect grade point average.
I agree technical writing is portable, it is well-suited to
telecommuting. However, I would argue that technical writing is not
nearly as portable as making the bus your office, nor would I agree that
studying for school and technical writing are the same in terms of
portability.
> I'm wondering if having a bit of privacy (in the way of a
> cubicle) is generally a job requirement for most of you.
A preference? Yes. But a requirement? No.
Agreed. And, to each his own.
>Maybe I'm a bit of a stoic, or maybe I'm just accustomed to the rough
>and ready world of contracting,
That's probably it. You are your own boss and your employer is not going
to change your working conditions adversely without your input <g>.
Think of this change as a company you are contracting with deciding to
pay you 10% less for a project and giving you 10% more work on top of
that. Would you do it to save the account, maybe, but . . ..
> Should I just thank my lucky stars for even having a job in Houston's
> downsized energy market and just gwichurgriping? I do know that my
resume
> has now hit the streets.
>This seems sensible. While your working conditions aren't especially
>harsh, you're obviously unhappy with them, so looking around seems the
>best alternative.
>To your credit, you're not just quitting. But it does sound as if you'd
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Save $600: Create great-looking Help files and software demos with
RoboHelp Deluxe. Get RoboHelp and RoboDemo - our new demo software - for one
low price. OR Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in June with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.
---
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.
