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<sigh> I was going to stay out of this discussion, but...
Yes, Utah is a relatively inexpensive place to live - I'm in San Diego and
my division's main office is in Foster City (just outside of San Francisco).
I stay here because I love it here - no need to make the best of it, it is
the best. <g> I don't suffer - silently or otherwise! (Well, unless you
count having to park the Mustang convertible in favor of the cross-over with
better gas mileage as suffering. On nice days, I sure do! <g>)
And I'm not afraid to speak up - but I *am* afraid of changes to the status
quo. I like being a salaried employee. I can walk my dog and eat my
breakfast while I wait for the traffic to clear before I leave for work. If
I need to work from home, I email my boss to let him know. I've never had to
keep track of my hours. And my pay is right up there with what the devs
make -- fairly common for an API writer position these days, at least in my
experience.
And the last time I was on a death-march-to-the-release schedule -- granted,
in the late 90s, so during boom days -- management was so appreciative it
landed me a $13k/yr raise, so would I hesitate doing it again or begrudge
the time? Nope, not me! There's a review about to happen - it's right around
the corner! <g>
Hourly, as a contractor? Been there. Done that. No thanks!
-Sue Gallagher
On 5/21/08, Collin Turner <straylightsghost -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
>
> Are my conditions really that different?
>
> In case you haven't paid attention, Utah is NOT a cheap place in which to
> live. It's simply a cheap place in which to make people work.
>
> I only stay here because I have to (and it's pretty). So I make the best of
> my situation and never suffer in silence. I wish more of my fellow
> Technical
> Writers/Communicators, etc. would drop a pair and do the same (wink).
>
> That is what this comes down to. Fear.
>
> We don't want to rock the boat in fear of causing trouble, getting in
> trouble, getting fired. It's hard to outsource a Tech Writer effectively -
> companies try it all the time and few succeed. I am "successful" in this
> state, but still below the average for other States and on par (or above)
> for national averages.
>
> I enjoy working hourly. There is nothing to be afraid of.
>
> Then again, I also like being on contract. And I like hanging from cliffs
> and driving fast...and running with scissors.
>
> Does that make me a bad person? A fool? Or just insane?
>
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