Being Bulletproof: Job Security in the Modern Tech Comm Environment

What does job security mean to you? Does it mean staying at one company until you retire, or being secure in the knowledge that once you finish with your current job, another one will be waiting for you?

 In an age of outsourcing, rightsizing, and continuous publishing, job security in the technical communications field can include not just Continuous Employment, but Consistent Employment models. This seminar can help you understand the differences, benefits, and risks of each and which one might be right for you.

Which industries are stable and growing? What skills are in high demand?  Exercises will help you assess your tolerance for risk and plan a strategy for career security.

Jamie Wagner

Jamie is the lead technical writer for The Write Stuff, a consulting firm in Seattle specializing in content creation and presentation, where she both writes content and manages technical communication projects. Before joining The Write Stuff, she was a senior information developer for a consulting agency specializing in developing English content for localization. Jamie was also a senior technical writer for a major localization firm and during her tenure there, she piloted an XML-based content-management system for a Fortune-100 technology firm.

Jamie has a Master of Arts degree in Technical Communication and a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. She is a senior member of STC and is active in the Puget Sound chapter.

Chris Smith

As program manager for The Write Stuff, Chris coordinates resources and schedules for the company’s various active projects. (Some days, that just means making sure his customers, employees, and his boss are all equally unhappy with him.) Chris is a long-time writer, illustrator, and graphic designer with abundant experience in permanent, temporary, contingent, and freelance environments. He entered technical communication from the aerospace and manufacturing industries where he developed strong opinions about documentation that is incomplete, poorly organized, inaccurate, or unnecessarily verbose. Having landed a job he loves at a great company, Chris now looks forward to helping others achieve the same