Finding the career niche

[Bill Brucksch <bbruck -at- HALCYON -dot- COM>]

Hello out there in techwr-l land. My name is Bill Brucksch and I'm trying
to decide where to focus my career efforts. After successfully changing
careers three years ago and becoming a technical writer, I've been working
as a contractor, writing technical nmarketing materials, especially case
studies. But where do I go from here?

My goal is to work from home 90% of the time, either through a contract
agency or totally independently. So my question is this: where's the best
niche for my efforts? Should I continue writing case studies, create a Web
site that specializes in case studies, and market myself to different
industries? Or should I go the indexing route (they seem to work
independently), or maybe even instructional design (I have a background in
education/psychology)?

My thinking is that there is a need for people who write case studies, but
I don't have a clear enough picture of the marketplace. I have no objection
to getting additional training if that's appropriate, and I'm in a position
where I can do that.

I welcome all input and would be glad to summarize the responses I receive
for the list.  In addition, anyone who's interested in learning how to
change careers, I'd be glad to share what I've learned.

Thanks in advance.

Bill Brucksch

 TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot-  Send commands
   to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
  Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/  or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html