RE: Job market and career

["Al Geist" <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>]

m d wrote:
 
"CONS:
 
A lot of tech writing jobs are being outsourced.  IBM revealed the other day
that one-fifth of its jobs are now offshore.  The future of the TW field is
uncertain."

There is a distinct difference between "outsourcing" and "off-shoring." I am
the "contract" Technical Publications Manager for the American division of a
German-based technology company. Many of the employees at the company work
either under contracts direction with the company or through contracting
companies. We are outsourced. Our jobs have not left the area

Off-shoring is another thing all together. In that case, the positions are
moved outside of the country. The company may be headquartered in the USA,
but the workers located in India, Israel, or China, or in a growing number
of cases, the company may be headquartered in on of those countries and the
workers located in the USA.

Both outsourcing and off-shoring are the result of globalization. It has
nothing to do with the potential demise of technical writing, but it will
affect your future pay scale. 

Al Geist
Technical Writing, Help, Marketing Collateral, Web Design and Award Winning
Videos
Voice/Msg: 802-872-9190
Cell: 802-578-3964
E-mail: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
URL: http://www.geistassociates.com (Online portfolio and resume)
See also:
URL: http://www.geistimages.com (Fine art photographic prints for home or
office and beautiful note cards for all occasions.)

" ... I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking.  Better to be a
pilgrim without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong threshold
every day."  (Anon)


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