Re: Anyone need a job? Very badly?

[Jessica Behles <j -dot- e -dot- behles -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Yes I do need a job. Very badly. But sadly, I'm not experienced/good enough
for that one, or any job above minimum wage, apparently. As a newly minted
tech writer (just graduated last May), I'd be thrilled if I could get a job
or contract that paid that much. Heck, I'd be thrilled if I could even FIND
a techcomm job where "entry level" actually meant that, rather than minimum
of a Bachelors and 2-5 years of experience in both tech writing AND the
specific field (e.g., medical writing, etc.). In this job market, I'm
competing with people with way more experience for the same "entry level"
positions.

I keep reading on this list over and over that new grads like me are taking
cheap jobs like the one mentioned in this thread and ruining the field's
pay as a whole by undervaluing themselves. I really don't think it's us,
because of all my colleagues who graduated while I was in university, only
one has been able to get a techcomm job -- all the rest had to take
administrative or similar jobs because that's all we former students can
get. I don't know. It's extremely frustrating when people compare $21.50 to
working at McDonalds, when I can't even secure anything near that amount.
Some days I feel like McDonalds is the only place I'm qualified for.

And to turn this e-mail into less of a whine-filled rant (cheese, anyone?),
I guess I'll ask for any advice about how to actually get a job in
techcomm. I've been shooting for editing jobs because that's what I love to
do. I copy edited the university's student paper for two years, I edited
the university's accounting policies and procedures for two  years, I was a
writing tutor for a year, I've been a part-time contract editor for a
crowdsourcing company for almost two years, and since last June, I have
been editing engineering documentation for a radio telescope array. Yet I
still don't have enough experience for an "entry level" editing position
(in or out of techcomm). I'd be willing to write, but I have next to no
experience there, so my prospects are even worse. So how do I A) leverage
this experience to get a job; or B) get more experience even though nobody
will offer me a job?

Thanks in advance!

-Jessica Behles
Documentation Specialist
NRAO ALMA Project -- Back End, North America

On Sat, Jan 21, 2012 at 7:17 PM, William Sherman
<bsherman77 -at- embarqmail -dot- com>wrote:

> Here is the ad on Monster.
>
> Technical Writer
> Company:   Adecco Technical
> Job Category:  Editorial/Writing
> Reference Code:  204083
>
> Location:   Tampa, Fl 33610
> Job Status:   Temporary/Contract/Project
>
>
> Here is the pay.
>
> 12 month contract
>
> Pay - $21.50/hr
>
> I guess if you are desperate, it is better than working at McDonald's. I
> would think these contract houses would become a bit smarter and realize
> that the more they help us make, the more they make.  At this kind of pay,
> they have to get someone desperate who will quit at the first chance of
> something better or someone with no experience who will only make Adecco
> look bad.
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with
> Doc-To-Help.
> Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
> Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
> http://www.doctohelp.com
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as j -dot- e -dot- behles -at- gmail -dot- com -dot- 
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> or visit
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/j.e.behles%40gmail.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
> http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/ for more resources and
> info.
>
> Looking for articles on Technical Communications?  Head over to our online
> magazine at http://techwhirl.com
>
> Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions?  Search our public
> email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
http://www.doctohelp.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/ for more resources and info.

Looking for articles on Technical Communications?  Head over to our online magazine at http://techwhirl.com

Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions?  Search our public email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives