Re: Brief introduction and request for advice

[kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com]

There are already some good responses to your post, with which I agree. I
also suggest that you try to identify the specific roadblocks you're
encountering.

Are there specific tools that ALL the prospective employers want you to
learn? Then learn them, at least one or two. It's really no big deal; you
buy the software and a decent self-instruction book, and you're off to the
races. It might be a worthwhile investment.

And let's be realistic: none of The Big Tools (Frame, Robo, Word,
Photoshop, whatever) really require you to get actual training from
corporate trainers - they're all reasonably intuitive and a plethora of
self-instruction books exist for each. The "official" training programs
I've seen for these tools are typically WAY overpriced, and often show you
no more than an Adobe Classroom-in-a-book (for example) will show you.

As a former teacher, you may still be qualified for the massive
educational discounts on software offered by vendors like these:

http://www.diskovery.com/
http://www.journeyed.com/

If that is the case, you're not even looking at a very big investment to
buy these tools.

But in the meantime, it sounds like you need to work on your skill at
selling yourself. You're NOT a complete newbie, and must have accumulated
SOME expertise. What are your strengths? Identify them and market them!

And while you're obsessing over tools, you must have used SOME software to
do your tech writing - what is it? Every company has its own methodology -
I've worked in a shop that required WordPerfect, another that wanted
FrameMaker and RoboHelp, and now I only get to play with Word. I'd be
surprised if somebody out there isn't looking for somebody who's used
whatever tool(s) you DO know.

Don't roll over just yet. This field has a variety of opportunities, they
just got a little harder to find recently. Hang in there!



 - Keith Cronin

_____________________________________


 Tech writing. It's not ALL fast cars and Hollywood parties. But most of
the time it is. Really.




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