Re: Growth Path for TWs (5-6 YRS) IN ORG.

["Mike O." <obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

My observations: In most FT corporate TW jobs you eventually hit a
salary/experience plateau where you aren't doing anything new, while
you watch startup companies learning, using, and selling all the new
technology. After you hit this plateau, it's only a matter of time
before the next cash crunch emerges in your company and you become
layoff bait. Once you start making your company's top salary for TWs,
they will eventually figure they can get a junior person to do your job
just as well for less - and to be frank, sometimes they're right. 

Of course, there are TWs who have found stable employment with regular,
if meager raises. Which is a perfect situation for some. But I believe
those to be the exception, not the rule. 

To dust off an old 1980s career advice, don't rely on (or even trust)
your employer to manage your career for you - you have to do it
yourself. So IMHO, the natural career path for ambitious tech writers
is 5-6 years of of meaningful, experience-rich employment, then start
consulting. 

Mike O.




		
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