OKC is doing OK! (Oklahoma City, Colbert: unemployment rate, buy, college)

[okcpulse]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

Exactly. The energy sector has offset the numbers. OkCpulse, I WANT to move back to Oklahoma, but cannot. And as I have said, salaries in the Tech. Writing profession have pretty much solidified all over the US to a median. However, OkC doesn't seem to recognize that. And Tech Writing isn't the only profession.

Heck, I've applied for lower paying jobs in OkC or Tulsa and never got a response because they knew what I was making in this market. They simply refused to pay a living wage.

I apologize if I sound like I am ranting, but this is a sensitive subject to me because I've wanted to move back to my home state for almost two decades but can't because of some very backward thinking in terms of salary.

What exactly does a technical writer do? And why are they in demand nationwide? Just fishing for information.

[okcpulse]

My position actually pays the same and in some cases higher in Oklahoma than in Texas... depending on who you work for. I am a systems administrator and .NET developer. If I get a job at an outsourced company, I won't get paid as well, whereas if I worked for a corporation or in the medical district as a sys admin they pay well.

Don't forget the medical field in Oklahoma City pays well, not to mention all of the scientists and researchers working in glass jars over at the PHF Research park. Of course, that park didn't exist 12 years ago.

But I understand where you are coming from since that is your profession. It would be really frustrating. My grandparents in Edmond are self-made and independently well-off, so it very easy for them to enjoy Oklahoma City.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by okcpulse

What exactly does a technical writer do? And why are they in demand nationwide? Just fishing for information.

Not a problem OkC pulse... This is from Wikipedia, which has a pretty accurate description of the Technical Writing profession.

A technical writer is a professional writer who designs, writes, creates, maintains, and updates technical documentation—including online help, user guides, white papers, design specifications, system manuals, and other documents. Engineers, scientists, and other professionals may also produce technical writing, sometimes handing their work to a professional technical writer for editing and formatting. A technical writer's primary responsibility is to produce technical documentation for technical, business, and consumer audiences.

When creating a document, a technical writer gathers information by studying existing material and interviewing subject matter experts (SMEs). The technical writer also studies the audience to learn their needs and technical level.
Well-formed technical documents follow common publishing guidelines. Technical documentation comes in all styles and formats, depending on the medium. Printed documentation has different standards from online documentation. Usually, technical writers follow formatting conventions described in a standard style guide. In the US, most technical writers use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). Many companies have their own corporate style guides, typically extensions of the CMS to cover specific corporate issues. One of these, the Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications is even used by some other companies.
Engineering projects, particularly defense or aerospace related projects, often follow national and international documentation standards—such as ATA100 for civil aircraft, or S1000D for defense platforms.


Technical writer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[karibear]

I think one of the weirdest off-shoots of technical writing is transcribing jailhouse interviews. I had a friend not too long ago who'd been a techncal writer, and based on her experience doing that, she got a job transcribing interviews. She said the hardest thing for her to deal with was that she absolutely could not fix the grammar of either the police or the interviewee. Every single 'err' 'uh' and 'well...uh' had to be done exactly and precisely so that when or if a lawyer read it back to the interviewee it would come out exactly as he'd said it. If he said 'dat' she couldn't change it to 'that' - as in "I dunno why I done dat." But it paid well enough so that she learned quickly.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by karibear

I think one of the weirdest off-shoots of technical writing is transcribing jailhouse interviews. I had a friend not too long ago who'd been a techncal writer, and based on her experience doing that, she got a job transcribing interviews. She said the hardest thing for her to deal with was that she absolutely could not fix the grammar of either the police or the interviewee. Every single 'err' 'uh' and 'well...uh' had to be done exactly and precisely so that when or if a lawyer read it back to the interviewee it would come out exactly as he'd said it. If he said 'dat' she couldn't change it to 'that' - as in "I dunno why I done dat." But it paid well enough so that she learned quickly.

karibear, thanks for the post, but transcribers are not Technical Writers. I realize that you said "off-shoots" though.

[colleeng47]

Hey, Syn, you're allowed to rant. We all know how much you love your native state, and always defend it. However, you are in a quandry right now. It may be your field that you find the biggest difference in salary. When Scott was in NJ, he made the same per hour as a contract employee as he did in OK working for Hobby Lobby with benefits. He was a non-skilled laborer. Doug's salary is lower here (by about 25%) than NJ, but due to economics, he would have probably lost his job by now if we stayed there. As you know, he's a computer systems administrator. I took a pay cut of about 20% here, but our overall output is about 30% less, so we're doing okay.

I'm thinking that since the cost of living in DFW is similar to OK, you're not going to see the type of difference we saw moving from NJ to OK.

As a tech writer, can't you work for companies in any state, and do the remote employee type thing?

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by colleeng47

Hey, Syn, you're allowed to rant. We all know how much you love your native state, and always defend it. However, you are in a quandry right now. It may be your field that you find the biggest difference in salary. When Scott was in NJ, he made the same per hour as a contract employee as he did in OK working for Hobby Lobby with benefits. He was a non-skilled laborer. Doug's salary is lower here (by about 25%) than NJ, but due to economics, he would have probably lost his job by now if we stayed there. As you know, he's a computer systems administrator. I took a pay cut of about 20% here, but our overall output is about 30% less, so we're doing okay.

I'm thinking that since the cost of living in DFW is similar to OK, you're not going to see the type of difference we saw moving from NJ to OK.

As a tech writer, can't you work for companies in any state, and do the remote employee type thing?

It's certainly an option (working from home), but a lot of the companies today still want you on-site. Insecure management and people who are jealous of someone that is allowed to work from home is mostly to blame.

I've worked from home a lot in the last several years, and that is where I am most productive. Productivity, however, isn't what most people want these days; what they want are butts in chairs and heads down - it makes management feel better when they can have their oppressive thumb on employees.

[nightbird47]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

It's certainly an option (working from home), but a lot of the companies today still want you on-site. Insecure management and people who are jealous of someone that is allowed to work from home is mostly to blame.

I've worked from home a lot in the last several years, and that is where I am most productive. Productivity, however, isn't what most people want these days; what they want are butts in chairs and heads down - it makes management feel better when they can have their oppressive thumb on employees.

Sad. I did fine when my ex and I had a home business. We worked at 2am to dawn in the summer when it was cool. I do best working at things when I'm in the mood to do it. But I have worked at an office with such management. Did not work out.

There have to be lots of talented people out there not working in their best fields because businesses have their heads buried in sand. Maybe with the cost of business vs the earnings right now, they'll wake up and see that if you don't have to pay the bills for the office and break room and all, that you might do better letting your employees working out of home.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by nightbird47

Sad. I did fine when my ex and I had a home business. We worked at 2am to dawn in the summer when it was cool. I do best working at things when I'm in the mood to do it. But I have worked at an office with such management. Did not work out.

There have to be lots of talented people out there not working in their best fields because businesses have their heads buried in sand. Maybe with the cost of business vs the earnings right now, they'll wake up and see that if you don't have to pay the bills for the office and break room and all, that you might do better letting your employees working out of home.

One of my more recent jobs I worked out of my home for almost three years. I was uber-productive and the company finally realized that was the way to go, at least for me.

If the government really wanted to cut down on pollution, congestion on the highways, and help more Americans keep extra money in their pockets (as well as saving the companies money in terms of office space), they would offer a tax incentive or something to companies that promote telecommuting. Wait a minute, that makes way too much sense - scratch it.

With today's technology, there is no reason high tech workers need to be in the office 40 hours per week; absolutely none.

If companies would base "productivity" on output rather than how many hours one spends in a cubicle, they'd be much better off. But hey, we can't offend those insecure managers and their employees that have to work under constant supervision because of their lack of discipline can we?

[Synopsis]

If I get this job in OkC that I'm hoping for, I take EVERYTHING back that I said about lowball wages in OkC. I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong.

Come on OkC, come through!!!!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/oklah...-move-okc.html