Lisa Gielczyk (TCP) wrote: > > I'm open for contracting if anyone knows of anything, and own Word and > FrameMaker. Something will come up, I know. It's just a matter of > time. >
Lisa, Admittedly, I have not been following the blow-by-blow description of your efforts to date, nor am I quite sure what business you spent all that time writing a plan for, so some of this may cover old ground... 1. Transferable skills The last time I drew a paycheck as a computer programmer was when I had a summer job during college, in 1965. But that, combined with only limited exposure to PCs and some obsolete work experience in the printing industry, a few hours of PageMaker experience on my own account, and a few writing credits got me my first tech writing job in 1993. The last time I was fired, in 2004, I decided I was tired of being fired and tired of working in cubicles; so I decided to go into business for myself. I assumed I would mostly be doing contract tech writing. Guess again. The bulk of what I do is editing and book production for self-publishing authors. In other words, think about the skills you have and the industries where they might be applicable other than the ones you've already worked in. Include avocational skills, too. What do you know how to do because of living life, rather than because you took a course or had a job doing it? Do people admire your garden? Maybe you could design gardens. Do people love your parties? Maybe you could be a caterer or a wedding planner. 2. It pays to advertise I don't see a link to your Web site after your signature. I don't see a link to your blog after your signature. Where is your Web presence? And how do you drive visitors to your site? I recently suspended my Google AdWords account because those ads brought me enough work that I don't need to attract any more clients right now. Yes, I spent a bunch of money to get those clients, but it was money well spent. And if my backlog drops, I'll spend it again. Meanwhile, I keep getting new blog visitors, and occasionally they become clients--and that's free. 3. Dignity of work Working is better than not working. And all kinds of work experience are valuable in some way. You'll learn more about customer service working behind a deli counter, for example, than you'll ever learn working in any capacity in a software company. You'll learn more about consumer psychology selling cars or magazine subscriptions than you will from any textbook. There are lessons to be learned on factory jobs, construction jobs, and all kinds of other jobs. Are they what you want to do for the rest of your life--or even the rest of the year? Probably not, but take what you can get when you can get it, and then keep working on the long-term plan. That's it for my attitude adjustment lecture. Take what you want from it and leave the rest for someone else ;-) Dick http://www.dmargulis.com/ http://ampersandvirgule.blogspot.com/ ______________________________________________ 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
