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Subject:Re: The Lone Writer From:Jo Francis Byrd <jbyrd -at- byrdwrites -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sun, 26 Jan 2003 23:58:10 -0600
"DaveC" <peninsula -at- covad -dot- net> writes:
I've been offered sole-writership at a web-based software startup company. They're offering $35/hour for full writer responsibilities to develop an on-line help/faq/instruction guide.
My "old" rate was twice this rate, and I'm feeling a bit of resentment toward the management (funding is from a $300M individual) that can't cut loose with a reasonable rate ($50?) for this local economy (San Francisco bay area). The friend who got me the interview says that they have a few other candidates lined up who are willing to take the work at this wage. True? No way of knowing.
And Steve Arrants replied:
That's a typical rate these days. The 90s are OVER.
To which I reply:
Unfortunately, this is true. I'm in Dallas, a high tech/telecom bastion,
and the bottom has fallen out. Rates SUCK. I'm getting half my rate -
where I started ten years ago with NO experience. I absolutely SEETHE
with resentment, but a sucky rate is better than nothing. I do not allow
my resentment to affect the quality of my work or my relationship with
the client. Our business is about relationships, after all.
It's a buyer's market, and the buyer's are lowballing. Wednesday I
interviewed for what turned out to be a permanent job. The guy doing the
hiring mentioned he wasn't sure what the salary ought to be - this is a
startup, they have yet to sell a product - and I told him I'd check the
salary surveys and find out. I checked, gave him the range for this
area, adding that I know some doc managers who verify that this is the
going range.
His response: Yeah, but that's for people who are working not for those
looking for work, they'll take whatever is offered, he's not paying that
much. Wish I could say he's the lone ranger, but he's not, I've seen it
several times lately. He has more people than he could possibly want
lining up to take t he job. The tide will - eventually - turn again, and
this attitude will jump up and bite these people in the backside, but
until that time we're going to have to clench our teeth and hang in there.
The good news, this will shake out the marginal people, for the most
part. Those of us who manage to stay employed and keep improving our
skills will come out ahead in the long run. It's just the minor matter
of hanging on till then!
Jo Byrd
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Help Authoring Seminar 2003, coming soon to a city near you! Attend this
educational and affordable one-day seminar covering existing and emerging
trends in Help authoring technology. See http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l2.
A new book on Single Sourcing has been released by William Andrew
Publishing: _Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation_
is now available at: http://www.williamandrew.com/titles/1491.html.
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