Thoughts from a Job
Ya'll may remember back when I was employed, before I was laid off. I had a job, and I didn't hate it.
In April I got hired for a short-term contract as a Technical Writer at F5 Networks. The pay was mediocre compared to other contract jobs, but it was "only" supposed to be for 5ish weeks, and it paid more than daycare costs. So I took it.
And you know? I'm still here, at F5 Networks, writing process documentation.
This isn't the only contract I've had since leaving the University, but it's the only long one I've had, and I'll be honest. I really like F5. I really like the people I've worked with. If they had a full-time position here, I would totally take it.
It has been really informative to compare my experience at F5 to my experience at UW. For one thing, I've felt more appreciated in 4 months than I felt in a combined 10 years at the UW. People here actually say thank you just because you've, you know, done your job. People actually like the documents I produce. At the UW, I don't recall writing much of anything that wasn't picked apart and "improved" by someone else, because everyone else has so much more experience than me, so everyone always had a better way to do it. And we didn't really write much documentation anyhow. People are actually way more productive while also being pleasant and having a sense of humor about stuff.
I'm actually rather sad that my position is ending in a couple weeks. I could possibly have stayed longer, at least by a few weeks, but I'm quitting on the 31st so I can start student teaching on September 4. And I am excited about the student teaching... but I will seriously miss this job a lot, too.
In April I got hired for a short-term contract as a Technical Writer at F5 Networks. The pay was mediocre compared to other contract jobs, but it was "only" supposed to be for 5ish weeks, and it paid more than daycare costs. So I took it.
And you know? I'm still here, at F5 Networks, writing process documentation.
This isn't the only contract I've had since leaving the University, but it's the only long one I've had, and I'll be honest. I really like F5. I really like the people I've worked with. If they had a full-time position here, I would totally take it.
It has been really informative to compare my experience at F5 to my experience at UW. For one thing, I've felt more appreciated in 4 months than I felt in a combined 10 years at the UW. People here actually say thank you just because you've, you know, done your job. People actually like the documents I produce. At the UW, I don't recall writing much of anything that wasn't picked apart and "improved" by someone else, because everyone else has so much more experience than me, so everyone always had a better way to do it. And we didn't really write much documentation anyhow. People are actually way more productive while also being pleasant and having a sense of humor about stuff.
I'm actually rather sad that my position is ending in a couple weeks. I could possibly have stayed longer, at least by a few weeks, but I'm quitting on the 31st so I can start student teaching on September 4. And I am excited about the student teaching... but I will seriously miss this job a lot, too.