Re: Questions on the Business End of Things

[Beth Agnew <beth -dot- agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca>]

You have a lot to offer the right kind of employer, and even as an 
independent consultant. If you are interested in the area of information 
design and knowledge management, it could be possible for you to move 
into a Chief Knowledge Officer position at a Director- or VP-level 
salary. An advanced degree is probably not necessary, although you would 
certainly want to keep learning in your field. As a self-employed 
consultant, you can run your own show, and hire subcontractors to assist 
you with larger projects, thus pulling in higher fees and keeping more 
of what you earn.

I am always encouraging my students to see technical communication in 
its broadest terms. With our basic skill set of interpreting technical 
material, writing plain language, managing information and knowledge, 
and making technology understandable to everyone, we have exactly the 
abilities needed to help people make sense of our increasingly complex 
and technical world. Our roles can range anywhere from sitting in a 
cubicle writing basic instructions, to evangelizing clarity of 
communication at the highest levels of Fortune 500 firms. The 
possibilities are vast for someone with techwriter skills to pursue 
whatever aspect of the profession is of interest. You are being 
underutilized when you have ideas for improvements and are not 
successful in getting heard. Not every company is so short-sighted. You 
may have to push a little, and if you cannot push where you are, the 
playing field is just too small -- you need a bigger arena for your vision.

With your academic background, teaching (in all its forms) is also an 
option. The pay is lousy, but there are other rewards, such as freedom 
to continue to be involved in the industry, and to produce your own 
projects. Your previous positions may have been marginal, but you 
definitely are not. Create your own vision of the way you want to work 
and start making it a reality. Have the courage to withstand the hard 
times while you're making the necessary transitions, and go for it! 
Anyone who says you can't doesn't understand the concept.

Phillip Gochenour wrote: