I just left a contract assignment that was my ideal position... it was just me and three programmers. That was the whole company. However, the company itself is owned by a larger company that controls its sales efforts and mother company thoughtfully doubled prices for this year so sales bottomed out. No sales-->no technical writer. I was there for a year and doing great work. I had a wonderful time and they love me. If they were actually making new sales, they'd have kept me on and probably offered me a staff position. I'm pretty sure when things pick up they'll want me back. It was 20 minutes from home, they listened to my ideas and for the most part accepted them.
I've been with companies where clawing your way up the corporate ladder was de rigueur and that's not my thing. Corporate life isn't for me... give me a tiny company with a cool product and I'll thrive there. Mike -- Mike Starr WriteStarr Information Services Technical Writer - Online Help Developer - Website developer Graphic Designer - Desktop Publisher - MS Office Expert Phone: (262) 694-1028 - Tollfree: (877) 892-1028 - Fax:(262) 697-6334 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Web: http://www.writestarr.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Martinek, Carla" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "techcommpros" <TCP@techcommpros.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 7:57 AM Subject: Re: [TCP] self evaluation objectives, what do *you* put? > -----Original Message----- > Mike Starr wrote: > I've embraced stagnation since I love being a technical writer and > really have no desire to do anything else for a living. I'm always > learning new things, get to play with stuff, I've had the privilege of > working with some absolutely amazing people (many of whom I've stayed > friends with years after we left the company we both worked for) and > have the luxury of being able to see tangible results of my work. I've > found my niche. > ----- > > > Hooray for you, Mike! I'm in the same boat. I love what I do, and > currently, I have no immediate plans to do anything else. Maybe, > someday, I might want to manage. Maybe. It's not a driving urge. I'm > more likely to go independent if anything. > > Too many companies are mired in the "advance or die" mentality (like > academia is "publish or die"). Some managers/companies just can't get > their head around someone saying, "I like what I do. I see myself still > doing this 10 years down the road. I don't want to be the CEO of the > company." They completely zone out on the "I want to learn new skills, > etc. that will increase my knowledge and help me do this job even > better." > > Fortunately, I'm in a position now where the "I'm happy doing what I'm > doing" attitude doesn't seem to be a hindrance. I recently got promoted > (they had to create a "senior" version of my job to do it), and my > manager encourages me to learn and try new things, and share with the > rest of the department what I find to be useful and helpful. This is > about as close to a perfect job as I've ever had. If I didn't have a > 45-60 minute commute each way, it would be perfect. :-) > > -Carla ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
