Does Outsourcing threaten Tech Writers careers?
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
One of the things I’ve noticed while doing the Tech Writers Salary survey is the tendency for US IT companies to start outsourcing their technical documentation.
Most surprising is that the outsourcing is not going to India, which is what I’d expected but rather to Poland and other eastern-European countries, such as Latvia and Estonia.
Most of the writers are English graduates and judging the samples that they have produced, can produce quite good documentation. Some of the wording and phrasing is a little awkward— but on price they can’t be beat.
The trend towards outsourcing technical documentation seems to be a fact of life.
I’d be interested to hear from anyone in the field —that means you!—who is either working with offshore companies or has identified ways to protect their career.
FWIW – I think Programmers have more to fear that Tech Writers when it comes to outsourcing. What I’d like to know is how it’s affected your career prospects and how you can take ADVANTAGE of this situation.
Regards,
Ivan
Full link 2:15 PM,
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Career Outlook for Technical Writers and RFP Managers in 2006
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Hi Folks,
I'm preparing a report on salary expectations for tech writers and proposal managers for 2006.
A few trends have emerged so far that might be of interet to you:
1. Salaries are holding form for west coast USA full-time staff.
2. Contract rates in the USA (esp. east coast are not growing as fast as 2005) ie below rate of inflation
3 eurozone rates for both types appears to be falling behind even further. Outsourcing beginning to impact recruitment strategies.
4. Business writer with online exposure are very much in demand and those with SOX implenmentation skills.
5. Multi-linguals with Chinese and Spanish will also in demand, esp those with Business Analysis skills and process mapping.
What have you seen in your area? I hope to get the report completed by Easter.
Thanks
Ivan
Labels: technical writing
Full link 10:52 AM,
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