Re: Can this career be saved?
I worked with a fellow writer at IBM-Burlington who graduated from Michigan^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tech. She liked the weather in Vermont better.....
Al Geist
Technical Communicator, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9190
Cell: 802-578-3964
E-mail: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also
Fine Art Photography
"We can't solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used to create
them." (Albert Einstein)
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+al -dot- geist=geistassociates -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+al -dot- geist=geistassociates -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Melissa Nelson
Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2011 11:34 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Can this career be saved?
I spent 17 years in Michigan and went to Michigan Tech. I am in Baltimore
now, but I have heard from a few friends from college that things are
starting to pick up in Michigan. I even have a couple of friends that are
moving BACK to Detroit for work. Things may not be so bleek Becca. In fact,
who knows this might be the perfect time to get back into the game! As far
as the certificate, if it makes you feel more secure and you feel that it is
worth it..then IT IS WORTH IT!!
Good luck and keep up with this list. I have found it invaluable over the
years!
Melissa
From: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- comcup of joe.
To: dvora -at- tech-challenged -dot- com; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Can this career be saved?
Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2011 07:46:57 -0400
Hi Deborah,
While I agree with you about good writing, I tend to disagree about
your slam at Michigan. I left Michigan in 1968 and have traveled and
worked in many areas of the country since that time. In the 1970s, it
was difficult to find good paying electronics jobs in California
because of a technology "recession." The dot-com bust that hit the
region 20 years later had PHds working at Wal-Mart because of all the
software companies that went belly-up. Michigan, on the other hand,
was booming (my brother and friends worked in the industry in Ann
Arbor). I currently live in Vermont where technical writing is pretty
tight. The decision by a large technology firm to close its Vermont
operations and move everything back to Germany (after
30 years in the state) is only making it worse. (If you're a software
writer, you probably have a better chance at getting work than if your
background is hardware heavy, but both fields are pretty tight.)
I have found the similar situations in Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona
when I lived in those states. Each place has had its ups and
downs....Michigan is no different. Currently, there are opportunities
in the Michigan's Southeast (Detroit, Ann Arbor, and so on) where old
auto factories are being converted to solar panel and wind turbine
production. In Holland, Michigan, a new Lithium Ion battery
manufacturing facility is being constructed that will employ an
estimated 1,000 people. (A friend is in charge of setting up the
factory.) The plant will manufacture batteries for the Chevy Volt in
the beginning and then expand to support other cars. It's changes like
these that open up opportunities, because they will require new
manufacturing procedures and training programs.
California's "silicon valley" in the early 1980s, good talkers used to
be able to increase their income every six months because there so
many job openings. Today, the same area is hit with the double whammy
of high unemployment and outrageous housing/renting costs. The weather
may be great, and California wines are excellent, but if you can't
find a decent paying job or, if you do, you can't afford a suitable
apartment or house, you can't enjoy the weather or the wines.
When I lived in Alaska (18 years), it was not exactly a hotbed for
technical writing. Yet, I found work as a field producers for national
coverage of a
1,000 mile sled dog race and freelance articles from Alaska were
always good sellers. I also headed the Academic Services for a
University of Alaska Fairbanks research institute, and developed
proposals for an Alaska Native Village Corporation (I am not native)
responding to local, state, and federal RFPs. At the latter, we
offered support services for government facilities all across the
country and it was quite successful. (I only left because the kids
were grown and gone, and 18 years of 50 below nothing winters was
getting tiring.)
So, every place has its ups and downs. In my opinion Michigan is
coming back, Vermont is sliding down. Regardless of the local
economics, the key to success is versatility, as I found out in
Alaska, and that is what Becca needs to focus on. If she has good
writing skills, she can apply those skills in both traditional and
non-traditional situations. It all depends on how hungry you are and
how strong your writing drive is. The tools are easy to learn....
As for Michigan....after 43 years and a lot of travels, I am retiring
back to my home state and look forward to basking in the sun on the
shores of Lake Michigan (Ludington area) with the morning paper and a hot
Al GeistDoc-To-Help.
Technical Communicator, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9190
Cell: 802-578-3964
E-mail: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also
Fine Art Photography
"We can't solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used to
create them." (Albert Einstein)
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+al -dot- geist=geistassociates -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+al -dot- geist=geistassociates -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- c
om] On Behalf Of Deborah Hemstreet
Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2011 12:39 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Can this career be saved?
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References:
Can this career be saved?: From: Becca
Re: Can this career be saved?: From: Deborah Hemstreet
RE: Can this career be saved?: From: Al Geist
RE: Can this career be saved?: From: Melissa Nelson
RE: Can this career be saved?: From: Al Geist
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