TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> > Um, do the actual currency conversions and factor in adjusted costs
> > of living.
>
> You don't need to if you are just comparing relative levels.
Yes, you do. If you don't, then you wouldn't learn that though you can
live comfortably on an entry-level salary in the US, you really cannot
in India (at least not on your own).
> I expect both the US and the Indian STC surveys are grossly accurate.
I expect they are grossly inaccurate, given the number of people
employed in technical writing around the world, the number of STC
members around the world, and the number of survey responses. What
data do you have in support of your expectation?
> Even though there is plenty to quibble about in their methodology and
> cost of living interpretation, I doubt either survey is off by an order
> of magnitude. The US survey sounds about right to me.
I guess if it sounds about right then it must be good enough. Perhaps
we should talk about quality of documentation and tech writer
appreciation. ;-)
I take these issues very seriously, and I am very fact-driven. The STC
surveys do not have enough data points to be taken as cold, hard
evidence of salary norms in any region. They are one report out of
many that can add value to a total compensation valuation, but in and
if itself the STC salary survey is not accurate enough to go by, and
contains too little peripheral information surrounding salaries to
make the findings applicable to analysis.
> Also, I wonder: What does it mean to have "ten years experience" in the
> Indian IT industry, considering (to my understanding) that the major
> expansion in India took place beginning with Y2K projects? (or am I
> misinformed?)
Was there no technology in India prior to Y2K? If so, then folks,
we're witness to the fastest developing nation the world has ever
seen! ;-)
I have a lot of friends from and in India. I can honestly say that
tech writing is not new to them. It's just one of a few growing
fields. ;-)
Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Doc-To-Help 2005 now has RoboHelp Converter and HTML Source: Author
content and configure Help in MS Word or any HTML editor. No
proprietary editor! *August release. http://www.componentone.com/TECHWRL/DocToHelp2005
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
