Will Kelly

Things I didn't like about Contracting and Consulting

I saw a lot of things as a contractor and consultant that really bothered me even some that left me wanting to take a shower

Things I liked about Contracting, Freelancing, and Consulting

I spent twelve years as a contract technical writer and consultant before making the jump back into full-time employment. There were a number of things I enjoyed about the work including:

1. Knowing the job had a beginning, middle, and end.
2. Being able to pick my own projects and clients.
3. Being responsible for my own professional fate.
4. Being able to fire clients.
5. Learning how to assimilate to different organizational cultures and see how organizational cultures can influence product development for better or worse.
6. Realizing the importance of being on a solid project team even when the rest of the organization could could be crumbling down around me.
7. Being able to take a Friday afternoon off when I wanted it off.
8. Working from home because I always seemed to get more done in my home office versus sitting on most client sites.
9. Being able to stay out of office politics (at least in the early portion of my contracting life).

Leaving Technical Writing

It's time to turn out the lights. I've had a great run as a technical writer and consultant but it's time to leave the profession. In some ways I've long outgrown technical writing because client needs as a consultant challenged me and pushed me to become more than just a technical writer.