Sunday, February 23, 2014

I claim a non-working weekend...

I claimed this weekend as a no-work weekend since rumor has it that working weekends may be mandatory in the near future (if I am lucky enough to be working at all, that is).  And since I have not been lucky enough to win the lottery....

My goal for this no-work weekend was to update my resume.

I have since realized that that is going to take more than a weekend.

I have not seriously updated my resume since I started at my current company, almost 12 years ago.


Side Note #1: This is officially three times longer than I have been at any other company. I must like this place more than I realize.

I did make a couple of minor adjustments over the years when I considered making a move within the company. But nothing that amounts to selling myself outside the company, nationally, or internationally.

Internationally?  Did I say that? 

Yes, I have decided that if a decent job on a tropical island calls my name, I will answer.  The guilt factor around making the kids move yet again reduces significantly once the kids no longer live with you.

I started with my current company as a technical writer of user documentation.   Since then, I have come a long way. baby. 

The way has not been up...that is not for me. Though, if the way had been up, I would probably have less of a hard time trying to sell myself.

I have evolved within and around the technical publications team to the point that I no longer actually do any writing.  In fact, I  have not written a user instruction type document for at least 5 years.  


Side Note #2: My LinkedIn  profile is seriously outdated.  Add that to my list of non-working weekend things to do.

So what have I done in the last 5 years?  A little of this (translation/localization coordination) and a little of that (documentation control). I seem to grab at the tasks that others shy away from - which raises my popularity among the "others".  Let me do that for you; in fact, let me do that for all of you.  While you do what you like and are best at, I will do what you do not like to do and struggle with.  Because I like to struggle.  Win. Win.

Serioulsy.  The technical publications team that I work with has had several managers over the years.  About 5 or 6 years ago, the manager that took over asked us how we would like to change the department, if at all. We had the bright idea of dividing tasks functionally, rather than by project.  Previously, the lead writer for a project coordinated all user documentation tasks -  including planning, writing, content management, localization planning, and release to production.  Most of us hated at least one or more of the required tasks. Most of us did at least one of those tasks exceptionally well.  So a functional approach was born...and lives on to this day.  It works so well that it has survived several reorganizations and managers and has been mimicked in other groups.

I have taken on a couple of functional roles as needs arose and resources were reallocated.

I still work with the technical publications team, but am no longer within that specific group.  My role as Customer Support Documentation Specialist allows me to work with both the user and service doc writing teams to release their work to production and distribute it to our engineers in the field.  And I get to share our ways of working with other writing teams throughout the company who are struggling within the traditional roles.

 And what do I want to do for the next 5 or 10 years  - since it is looking more and more like I will not be able to continue status quo? Good question...