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Subject:Re: secretary's day From:Janet Valade <janetv -at- MAIL -dot- SYSTECH -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 22 Apr 1998 11:30:51 -0700
>Who cares whether someone thinks you are a secretary? As long as
the
>payroll department puts the correct numbers on the paycheck, they
can
>call me a secretary, a scribe, a writer, or damn near anything
else,
>except late for dinner.
John, I'm so glad you don't mind being called a secretary. I have a
300 page manuscript for which the file has been deleted. Somehow, we can't
find the file for this document anywhere. Fortunately, we do have a hard
copy, so someone can re-type it into a new file. Since you don't mind being
called a secretary and since everyone else is busy, I will assign this task
to you. Then, as soon as you finish this, I will call you a gardener and
show you where the lawnmower is.
It is not about ego. It is about what tasks you spend your day
doing. I want to spend my day writing software documentation and related
tasks. That is why I call myself a technical writer. I do not want to
spend my day typing things, making coffee, answering phones, scheduling
meetings, coordinating office moves, ordering office supplies and furniture,
or any related tasks; that is why I do not call myself a secretary.
Janet
--------
Janet Valade
Technical Writer
Systech Corporation, San Diego, CA mailto:janetv -at- systech -dot- com
