Re: NEED HELP..PLEASE RESPOND

[Fred Brown <fred -dot- brown -at- allegrotechindexing -dot- com>]

Hi John,

I see your main problem as "a dearth of projects involving real tech 
writing work." In most fast-paced, high-tech organizations, you need to be 
making a regular contribution to the bottom line. Otherwise, your services 
may not be needed. In many high-tech groups, it's what you accomplish, not 
your job description or title that counts.

Try looking at the assignments your boss is giving you as opportunities to 
contribute to the bottom line. In every job there is room to find 
improvement, to show initiative and imagination. The Daily Activity report 
may be an awkward bit of administration that needs to be simplified. 
Perhaps, you could format the report to be more informative or produce some 
graphs that show some critical trends.

These little jobs also give you a chance to network with your colleagues in 
engineering, marketing and administration. You could develop the reputation 
as a "solutions" person that people seek out when they need advice. And as 
you develop your contacts, you will learn about upcoming projects. You 
could then propose technical writing avenues to your boss and Engineering.

In terms of feeling a lack of assertiveness, you can do something about it. 
First of all, any accomplishment, no matter how small will bolster your 
self-confidence. Toastmaster International is also a great place to develop 
your speaking and leadership skills. And you can take courses on 
assertiveness, dealing with difficult people, etc.

Best wishes,

Fred Brown

At 08:12 AM 4/19/2001 -0700, you wrote: