Re: Rates

[Elaine Garnet <2egarnet -at- rogers -dot- com>]

Very practical answer, Steve. Fixer. I might try that approach.

On 27-Oct-10, at 9:26 AM, Stephen Arrants wrote:

> Elaine Garnet writes:
>> I so agree with the sell-by date. Mine apparently expired many years
>> ago despite my technological aptitude. I am finding that companies  
>> are
>> hiring candidates fresh out of university and training them for the
>> job. These young ones will work long hours for dirt cheap wages. How
>> can you compete with that if you have 10 years experience doing that
>> job successfully and are a mature candidate?
>
>
> [Stephen Arrants] I encountered this when I lived and worked in
> California. What I did was position/sell myself as a fixer. The  
> company
> may have gotten a manual out of a "technical writer" for $13/hour, but
> after they either couldn't use it, couldn't understand it, or had a
> ginourmous increase in support calls they hired me. And I got more  
> than
> $13 an hour.
>
> I've survived recessions, reorganization, downsizing, rightsizings,
> repositionings, and crashes. I still write. I still edit. I still
> provide UX consultations. If a low rate was all that was available, I
> took a job at WALMART or Wolff's coffee rather than work somewhere for
> just over minimum wage. That was my decision, I don't expect it to be
> yours. And I'm not going to tell you that you're denigrating the
> "profession" or hurting anyone. You do what you need to do to survive
> another day.
>
>
> Steve Arrants

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