Re: Isolation and the technical communicator

[Laurel Gilbert <Laurel -at- NICHE-ASSOCIATES -dot- COM>]

>>> Laurel Nelson <Laurel_Y_Nelson -at- NOTES -dot- SEAGATE -dot- COM> 06/08 3:36 PM
>>>


 Maybe isolation is just the nature of the beast. Obviously, technical
 communicators are going to spend a fair amount of time at the
keyboard. I
 would like to hear from anyone who has gone through this. Did you quit
and
 find a position in which you had more people contact? What type of job
did
 you have that you felt so isolated? Were you the only person who was
 creating documentation? Were you in a permanent or contract position?
All
 comments and feedback are appreciated. If you have a position that
you
 feel has a good balance of job duties, I would like to hear from you
also.

 Thanks, Laurel

Another Laurel answering here...

I just started at a tech-writing firm in Salt Lake. I'm *amazed* by how
isolated everyone is...by choice! My previous experience is at software
development companies, which seemed to involve a lot more
person-to-person contact. Here, everyone has a private office...and
everyone's door is shut most of the day. I'm not even sure when (or if?)
my co-workers are around....everyone is free to sort of keep their own
hours and it's often deadly quiet around here.

BTW, mine is a permanent position, working on training manuals. We
contract as a company with larger computer companies to do their
writing. I figured ti was just the "nature of the beast" 'round these
here parts.

Laurel II