Archive for the ‘Careers’ Category

Happy One-Year Anniversary!

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Wow, What a Ride!

Tuesday, August 19, 2009, I celebrated my one-year anniversary as sole proprietor of Ridge View Media, my freelance consulting business. To commemorate this occasion, and to thank certain people and companies, I used Articulate’s new Web-based screen casting tool Screenr to create an anniversary video.

The funny thing is, there’s a “Freudian slip” in my narration. I mention my first “12 years” instead of my first “12 months”. I had to laugh and left that in the video, because some days it felt like it had been 12 years. :-)

Enjoy! And, if you played a part in RVM’s success as either a client or a partner, my heartfelt thanks go to you! You mean a great deal to me.

I look forward to the second 12 months! ~Jenise Cook

  • Share/Bookmark

Yes, We Can! Training & Technical Writing

Friday, February 13th, 2009

Can You “Do” Both?

Craig of HelpScribe has an April 2008 post that I found fascinating:

Why We Become Technical Writers

http://www.helpscribe.com/2008/04/why-we-become-technical-writers.html

Although I posted a comment on how I entered the technical communication field, it’s one-dimensional. My favorite topic is to talk about those of us I call “Hybrids”… that is, professionals who demonstrate proven success in both the training/learning and technical writing fields.

Yes, it’s true: Some of us do both, we love both, and we’re successful in both. To help others who feel the “tug” into both professions, I’ve revised my comment posted at Craig’s blog to capture my “Hybrid” journey.

My Journey

Craig, I found your message on Techwr-L, and I enjoy hearing the stories of how people started their technical writing careers.

Me? I have been writing and teaching since I was a child. As a volunteer, I started “teaching” when I was in high school, and I come from an extended family of educators. In college, where I majored in Spanish and French, the Engineering Department offered a course in Technical Writing. I completed it with all As. When I approached my professor for her help in starting my technical communication career, she replied:

“You can’t be a technical writer, you’re a humanities major!”

I believed her. Although I lived in an area surrounded by IT companies and government contractors, I limped into financial services after graduating with my B.A. My new managers noticed my writing and training talents. They helped me transition into writing policies and procedures, then into various Training Departments where they mentored me in both instructional design and ILT facilitation skills.

After some time, the Training gigs transitioned into writing print and online documentation for intranets, extranets, and Web-based applications. I felt a tremendous enjoyment with working “on the Web”, so I added some Web development skills (HTML, Dreamweaver) to my tool box. To make a long story short, through blessings and being in the right place at the right time, I am now a happy e-learning designer and developer, and I still use my technical writing skills to create job aids, quick-start guides, manuals, and more.

I love what I do, and taking “the path less traveled” only added to my knowledge, skills, and abilities or achievements. And my clients benefit from my “Hybrid” skills.

One word of advice to “Hybrid” career seekers: follow your heart. Invite learning specialists and technical communicators out for coffee, lunch, or dinner and interview them. Attend local ASTD and STC chapter meetings and ask the members about their jobs.

Stay away from the “anti-Hybrid” nay-sayers who discourage you, and build a personal community of career cheerleaders and supporters. Some of us are born to be “Hybrids”.

If what you read and hear about our professions gets your heart pumping, do everything you can to get your first instructional design and/or technical writer job.

You’ll be so glad you did, and you’ll never look back.

Good luck!

  • Share/Bookmark

More Businesses Are Using Freelancers

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

The “Secret” Is Out!

Some in our culture are talking about secrets, or The Secret. However, in these challenging economic times of 2009, with bailout after bailout, runs on bankruptcies, layoffs by the thousands, market downturns, … (okay, I’ll stop now.), I do look for and find good news! This past week, I stumbled upon freelance news at CNN.com’s Living section.

Businesses Are Hiring Freelancers!

The gems I want to pull out of the article for you are these brief points.

Businesses benefit most with freelancers when they:

  • are project-based with one-year cycles.
  • need work for a short time; it’s easier to hire a freelancer than getting an internal position approved.

Businesses who hire freelancers don’t have to:

  • purchase benefits.
  • pay payroll taxes.
  • buy new equipment or programs, nor upgrade licenses.
  • find work space for a new worker.

Click either the image or the link to read the article:

Cnn.com/living: More Businesses Using Freelancers

Looking Ahead to 2009

Businesses will be going through tumultuous times this year. One of the best things that they can do for the employees who remain (and who are doing the work of their laid-off colleagues on top of their own tasks), is to bring in a proven freelance consultant. That freelancer can help keep the business’s products and services flowing through the profit channels to their loyal customers.

I’m “Always Learning” and researching interesting topics, so I’ll share a few more links with you!

CareerBuilder.com’s 7 Hiring Trends to Follow in 2009:

“Trend No. 7: Freelance or contract hiring

To continue their cost-cutting efforts, employers are using freelance or contract workers to help support their businesses. Twenty-eight percent of hiring managers expect to utilize these workers in 2009.”

WCCO.com St. Paul Design Firm Changes Name, Expands

My Notes: Owner Renita Van Dusen says that she’s going to hire freelancers for awhile for her growing business. Why? To avoid the pain of laying off employees. I do want to emphasize that layoffs are very hard on the managers who have to give their staff the bad news:

“Despite her rising revenue, Van Dusen has decided against her earlier plan this year to expand her staff by one or two employees. The economic fallout of the past few months has her feeling nervous.

She never wants to be in the position of laying off employees because her business grew too fast, so she’s relying more on freelancers. “I’m just trying to be very careful,” she said.

  • Share/Bookmark

Blogging, Freelancing, and the Economy

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

Where Have I Been?

I stopped blogging because I got busy. Mid-August, I launched my own business, my sole proprietorship, freelance, independent consulting business. Yes, I joined the work-at-home, bunny-slipper-brigade, telecommuter, virtual worker workforce!

My blog nagged at me several times a week… for months. Funny how an inanimate, cyberspace tool can do that. However, this past week, I discovered that I’m not alone in neglecting my blog. What a relief! Both Debora Gallo (of eBites) and Lee LeFever (of Common Craft) published posts that describe their own blog neglect. It’s nice to find out I’m in good company. Take a moment to read their musings:

Debora Gallo, “It’s Not Just Me”

http://ebites.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/its-not-just-me/

Lee LeFever, “Why I stopped Reading Blogs (for awhile)”

http://www.commoncraft.com/why-i-stopped-reading-blogs-while

My situation wasn’t so much not reading other’s blog posts as it was getting used to running my own business. I had two clients keeping me busy, an attorney to chat with, and a CPA coaching me through tax consequences. I attended workshops and continued to network, marketing my business so I could gain clients for 2009. On top of that, of course, I continued to manage the home front, and use my virtual worker status to help a family member with some personal issues.

Things are falling comfortably into a routine, now, and I still value writing for my blog. I see the need to create a blogging schedule and stick to it. The blogosphere gives us a great cybervenue for the sharing of ideas, and I hope to give you something of value and encourage conversation and collaboration.

Freelancing and the Economy

While I was busy not blogging, some people have said to me, “Wow, Jenise, what a time for you to go freelance… in this economy!” Although I’ve been planning and preparing for this business move for about a year, I had no control over anything when I pulled the trigger. It’s difficult enough to time the stock market if you want to buy-sell stocks, let alone choose when you’re going to “go for it” and pursue your dreams.

Family and I are frugal, cautious, and seek wise council from others, including our Higher Power. But, sometimes you just gotta go for it. Otherwise, you’re still on the sidelines watching the game instead of playing in the game and running for goals or touchdowns.

Again, I found that I’m not alone. Bob Younce writes on “The Writing Journey” blog, and his post on freelancing in this economy is a great read.

Bob Younce, “Writing Your Way Out of a Recession”

http://writing-journey.com/internet-writing/writing-your-way-out-of-a-recession

So, that’s where I’ve been instead of blogging. I’ve been learning, networking, designing, developing, and having a great time!

As for the economy, it’s one day at a time for me. Let’s all do what we can for today, plan for tomorrow, but focus on what’s in front of us today. Despite the news, I do encourage you to pursue your dreams. You’ll need to plan, set aside contingency funds in a savings account, and plan…plan…plan.

I look forward to you joining the game from the sidelines, and writing about your experiences in your own blog!

Together, you and I will be “Always Learning” about business and making dreams come true!

  • Share/Bookmark

Social Identity & Reputation | Video of the Month 200805

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

The lovely month of May 2008, initiates The Video of the Month for this blog.

The video below is by VendAsta and NoMoreDoorKnocking (view their blog) up in Canada. It reminds us all to create trustworthy social networking Profiles when we describe ourselves. And, to “trust but verify” when we add contacts to grow our professional networks.

Embedding a YouTube.com Video
How did I embed this video on my post? The screen shot below from the WP.org Codex FAQ page tells us all how:

Hat Tip on the video to Jay Thompson via his PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com blog.

  • Share/Bookmark