What if I Had a MIS Degree

These are certainly two awesome jobs that I won't apply for. 

Either of these jobs would be awesome... if I were qualified.

OR

If I were qualified, either of these jobs would be awesome.

I enjoy my work as a technical writer in HCIS. I reached my 6 year work anniversary on 3-28-2022!! Considering that in my previous employers, I did not reach a 6 year work anniversary. Prior to working here, my previous employers were: 

• NDP was  3 years
• Jordan Systems was 7 months, 3 weeks
• Quintrex Data Systems was 12 years, 2 weeks
  
• Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa was 5 months, 3 weeks, 4 days
• Pearson was 4 years, 7 months, 4 weeks

While I am half-way to reaching my record - 12 years at Quintrex, I believe 6 years is pretty cool, especially when I really cannot imagine still being at any of those other companies. To be clear, I have had a good work history, despite the time I spent at the Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa.

If I have anything to say about it, I will work another 5114 days (14 years) from 3-28-2022 until 3-28-2036, which is when I will have 20 years of service. Prior to working here, I worked as a technical writer for 7717 days (21 years, 1 month, 2 weeks, 4 days) so reaching 20 years of service does mean that I have more years of experience (by 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks, 4 days) as a software technical writer than I have as a disaster recovery technical writer, but I can live with that. 

I don't think I can justify working until 5-01-2037 - with 7704 days (21 years, 3 days) of service here just to top my software technical writer years. I would be alive 24620 days (67 years, 4 months, 3 weeks, 6 days) if I worked until 5-01-2037. I do want to retire someday....

I'm not qualified for either position described below. I don't mind.

---

This position is primarily remote, but may be required to work onsite at times. Remote work must be performed at an offsite location within the state of Iowa. Successful candidates must comply with requirements of the remote work program and related policies.

Position will be filled as either a Systems Administrator or Systems Analyst based on candidate qualifications and interview evaluation.  To be considered for different job classification levels, candidate must apply for each position interested in.

Pay Grade: https://hr.uiowa.edu/pay/pay-plans/professional-and-scientific-pay-structure-b

Salary: $55,000 to commensurate – 4B – Systems Administrator

$44,000 to commensurate – 3B – Systems Analyst

University of Iowa offers a generous benefits package, including 24 days paid vacation per year to start and paid sick leave. Complete information regarding the full benefits package may be viewed at: https://hr.uiowa.edu/benefits/fpsm.

Percent of Time:  100%

Location: 3281 Ridgeway Dr, Coralville, IA  52241

Staff Type: Professional & Scientific

Type of Position: Regular

Systems Administrator:

The Central Sterilizing Systems Administrator assists in the implementation, configuration, and support of the many systems that make up the Central Sterilizing Department.  Job responsibilities include a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server Operating Systems along with Windows High Availability solutions. A moderate understanding of MS SQL, IIS, Device and Data Integration along with the basic concepts of firewalls, networking, network-based storage systems and one or more hypervisor technologies.  This individual must contribute to troubleshooting complex issues where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of contributing factors. This person must also network with key contacts outside their own area of expertise for issue identification & resolution.

 

Education Required

Bachelor’s degree in MIS, Computer Science, or related degree; or an equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field.

 

Experience Requirements

·         Typically, 3-5 years of experience in IT systems infrastructure development for the System Administrator level position. 

·         In-depth working knowledge of server hardware and Microsoft Operating Systems along with file services.

·         Knowledge of systems administration of Microsoft SQL, IIS and Windows High Availability solutions.

·         Accuracy and attention to detail with strong organizational skills.

·         Ability to effectively document procedures and instructions.

·         Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and strong interpersonal skills.

·         Ability to manage small IT projects that require coordination of staff and resources.

 

Desired Qualifications

• Experience programming with a scripting language such as PowerShell.
• Working knowledge of networking technologies and firewalls 
• Familiar with medical instrument tracking and sterilization applications
• Familiar with server hardening methodologies and practical implementation experience.
• Familiar with procedure recording, medical virtual presence, and Information Integration
• Technically fluent in server hardware and Windows Server administration version 2016 or later.
• Hands-on experience with one or more hypervisor technologies.

---

Systems Analyst

The Central Sterilizing Systems Analyst assists in the implementation, configuration, and support of the many systems that make up the Central Sterilizing Department.  Job responsibilities include a working knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server Operating Systems along with Basic Understanding of Windows High Availability solution. A basic understanding of MS SQL, IIS, Device and Data Integration along with the basic concepts of firewalls, networking, network-based storage systems and one or more hypervisor technologies.  This individual must contribute to troubleshooting complex issues where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of contributing factors. This person must also network with key contacts outside their own area of expertise for issue identification & resolution.

 

Education Required

Bachelor’s degree in MIS, Computer Science, or related degree; or an equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field.

 

Experience Requirements

·         Typically, 1-3 years of experience in IT systems infrastructure development for the System Analyst level position. 

·         Working knowledge of server hardware and Microsoft Operating Systems along with file services.

·         Basic knowledge of systems administration of Microsoft SQL, IIS, and Windows High Availability solutions.

·         Accuracy and attention to detail with strong organizational skills.

·         Ability to effectively document procedures and instructions.

·         Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and strong interpersonal skills.

·         Ability to manage small IT projects that require coordination of staff and resources.

Desired Qualifications

·         Basic understanding of networking technologies and firewalls

·         Experience programming with a scripting language such as PowerShell.

·         Familiar with server hardening methodologies and practical implementation experience.

·         Familiar with medical instrument tracking and sterilization applications

• Familiar with procedure recording, medical virtual presence, and Information Integration
• Technically fluent in server hardware and Windows Server administration version 2016 or later.
• Hands-on experience with one or more hypervisor technologies.
• Basic knowledge of and experience with monitoring, measuring, and optimizing individual and combined utilization of hardware, software, and telecommunications components.
• Basic knowledge of approaches, practices, tools and Techniques for the development and administration of contingency and disaster recovery plan.
• Basic knowledge of techniques and tools that promote effective analysis and the ability to determine the root cause of organizational problems and create alternative solutions that resolve the problems in the best interest of the business.
• Basic knowledge and experience with tools and techniques for planning, organizing, monitoring, and controlling IT projects.

---

Spells Out the Unspoken

What I like the most about this job ad is this text:

You will also have the opportunity to act as a “user” for Zoomin’s own products. In this capacity, you will be expected to act as a beta-tester ,design partner and customer advocate for Zoomin

In my career as a Technical Writer, dating back to my first day at NDP in Cedar Rapids, "acting" as a "user" for the product I was documenting has always been part of the job, at NDP, at Jordan Systems, at Quintrex, at the Unnamed Hellhole in Southern Iowa, and at Pearson because, at each of those companies, if I didn't "act as a user," my work would have been useless for the target audience. 

At my current job, as a Senior Technical Writer working on both Disaster Recovery documentation and Knowledge Management, I am doing hardly any writing. For both of those projects, the SMEs write the documentation and I curate the content into a deliverable. After 5 1/2 years in this current role, I sometimes struggle with the lack of writing I do on a daily basis. I love my job - certainly, no, there's no way I will ever work in Tel Aviv...

---

Technical Writer

• Tel Aviv

Description

A Technical Writer is an important position for any B2B software company, but all the more so for Zoomin, a company whose mission is to reinvent the enterprise technical content experience. 

As Technical Writer you will be expected to author high quality technical product content to help our customers get the most out of Zoomin. You will also have the opportunity to act as a “user” for Zoomin’s own products. In this capacity, you will be expected to act as a beta-tester ,design partner and customer advocate for Zoomin, across the entire range of technical documentation experiences (including the documentation portal and in-product help).

If you like communicating clearly in both written and verbal form, are passionate about technical documentation, and want to play an active role in the next generation of a product content experience, this job is for you!

Responsibilities

• Become a domain expert in our products
• Create, maintain and publish high quality, clear, technical content about our products
• Help drive improvements in content, based on user feedback and analytics, to improve customer satisfaction and engagement
• Act as a beta-customer and design-partner for Zoomin’s platform. Help design and improve new features and capabilities 
• Be a passionate  Zoomin advocate when communicating with customers and prospects, and help in closing new sales and upsell opportunities

Requirements

Qualifications

 Please apply if you:

• Are passionate about technical documentation and interested in making a big impact in this space
• Have at least three years of experience writing high-quality technical documentation for software products in English
• Able to write and speak in English at the level of a native speaker
• Proven experience with DITA - an advantage

---

Never Seen This Layout For a Job Ad

Editor's Note: I want to preface this post by stating, quite simply, I am extremely happy to work for my employer and in no way shape or form am I thinking about leaving. I am only writing what I am writing today because I saw something worth writing about earlier today.

I don't write about this topic often so this may come as a shock: I am fascinated by job ads. For over 30 years, which is when I was in my sophomore year at college, I vividly remember scanning the Sunday Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette because I wanted to find a different job than working at the Spring House Restaurant, but I never found what I was looking for in that section.

Then, when I was nearing graduation from college, I remember scanning the Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette every day because I wanted to find a full-time, permanent job so that I could leave my job at the Spring House Restaurant. Eventually, I saw the ad for APAC Teleservices in late summer of 1992 and was eventually hired to work for that company.

However, my scanning of the Classified ads never waned.

When I was hired at my first Technical Writer position at NDP, I continued to scan the Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette because I felt like I should move on to another company. Eventually, I saw the ad for Jordan Systems in January 1998 and was eventually hired to work for that company.

However, my scanning of the Classified ads never waned.

When I was working at Jordan Systems, I learned that there was economic uncertainty within the company. I was shifted from Technical Writer to Data Entry in order to generate revenue for the company. I continued to scan the Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette because I felt like I should move on to another company, especially given the fact that Karen was pregnant with our second child. Eventually, I saw the ad for Quintrex Data Systems in August 1998 and was eventually hired to work for that company.

However, my scanning of the Classified ads in the Cedar Rapids Gazette never waned. If anything, it pushed me to what became an obsession for me between 2004 and 2010, when the Internet "happened".

When I was working at Quintrex Data Systems, I longed to find a part-time gig to supplement my income. I dreamed of working at Quintrex Data Systems during the day and then running my own Technical Writing Consulting Business (I called it the TWCB) after work. I was able to do that, through contract work with HiMARKS, Collective Data, and the company that has a software called "Help & Manual" at various points in time during my dozen years at Quintrex Data Systems. However, I also was seeking a different permanent full-time Technical Writer job for various reasons. I looked at all sorts of job ads for local as well as non-local companies. I had a sub-folder of bookmarks for local companies so I could review any new openings on a regular basis. Eventually, I saw the ad for the Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa on their website and was eventually hired to work for that company.

And I'll end the story there, just because of the sheer repetition of this post may be lulling you to sleep.

My point is that I have looked at hundreds, if not thousands, of job ads in my lifetime and today was my first time seeing a "regular" job ad with a two-column layout. Sure, I've seen two-column ads in newspapers, but I don't recall seeing an online ad. To be clear, no, there's nothing exciting about a two-column layout. Certainly, I'm not going to apply for this position with O.C. Tanner in Salt Lake City, UT. I just had never seen it in the 30 years that I have looked at job ads.

---

---

A Band that Released an Album Throughout My Career

In my career, I have worked at 5 major employers and during the time I worked for each employer, Sevendust released an album. The same cannot be said for Bayside - they didn't exist when I worked for NDP, for Count the Stars - they also did not exist when I worked for NDP, or even Metallica - they existed when I worked for NDP as Load was released in August 1996, when Megan was born, but then there was an extended time of no new music as Death Magnetic was released when I worked at Quintrex but its follow-up, Hardwired to Self-Destruct, was not released until I had started working for the University of Iowa - they skipped my time two employers:

1. the Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa
2. Pearson

But not Sevendust! They nailed all 5 employers!

1. They released Sevendust when I worked at NDP.
• They did not release an album in 1998, when I worked at JSI for 7 months.
2. They released Home, Animosity, Seasons, Next, Alpha, & Chapter VII when I worked at QDS.
3. They released Cold Day Memory when I worked at the Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa.
4. They released Black Out the Sun, Time Travelers & Bonfires, and Kill the Flaw when I worked at Pearson.
5. The released All I See is War when I worked at the University of Iowa.

If I come upon other bands that have released new music (that I like!) during my time at my different employers, I will create a post about the band.

Can't Unsee

I have read a lot about salaries and from that reading, I have reached a conclusion about the author of the quote above, which is, the author does not understand business. I was an English major. I never took a class about business. A lot of what I think about business comes from reading and watching a show like "Shark Tank," where there is a lot of discussion about business. From all of that, I believe that a business exists for one reason: to make money. That's it. The way a business makes money is by getting as much as it can, whether it is office supplies, customers, market share, for as little amount of money that it can. That means a business will pay market value for its employees and that's exactly what it should pay its employees. For the person quoted above, they thought their salary was fine until they learned that a co-worker's contract and salary is worth more than the author's. Why is that? What does that co-worker 'bring to the table' that the author does not? The better question is, "How do I articulate to my boss that I bring as much or more value to the business than my co-worker?" And I have an answer for that: numbers. The author has to find the numbers to justify the author's value. It's not enough to point at the co-worker and say, "My co-worker does less than me; I do more, therefore, I deserve a higher salary." On the contrary, the co-worker likely provides a service that has a higher value to the company than the author. Another consideration might be that the co-worker negotiated the contract better than the author.

I suck at negotiating - I really do. I think I probably wrote about this in another post but I'll retell the story because of its relevance to this topic. When I was hired at NDP (Network Data Processing) on February 10, 1995, the Vice-President of the company offered me a salary of $17,500 a year to be the newest "Documentation Specialist" at the company. Frankly, I was caught off my game when he offered me the position because the interview process had started earlier that morning and no other company I had interviewed with had reached the salary negotiations on the same day as the interview. Yet, there I was, being offered a job. I didn't know what to say except to ask for $18,000. I had done no research on what I should expect for a salary so, because I hate math, all I did was round up to $18,000. Should I have asked for $25,000 a year? Or $50,000? Or $100,000? I have no idea. The point is this: the salary I agreed to accept is what I accepted. The Vice-President perceived my value to the company as $17,500; I perceived my value to the company as $18,000. The Vice-President accepted that his perception of my value was lower than my perception and probably because he had room in his budget for Documentation Specialist, he agreed. If the author above didn't negotiate a salary that was acceptable, that is on the author. During the next three years, I attempted to negotiate a higher salary. I decided that I should be making at least $20,000, but, as you might imagine, that never happened. I had established value to the company and, like the author above, the argument that because "someone else makes more, I should make more" was not successful to the extent that I wanted. Eventually, I had my final day at NDP on February 10, 1998, which was a Tuesday. The next day, I started as a technical writer at Jordan Systems, which is a story for another post.

The ability to perceive my value to a company is a weakness of mine and one that has pursued me like a rabid dog throughout my career. My response to the author in the screenshot above is to determine what your market value is to your employer. If you determine that you are not being paid market value, then you should ask for a salary adjustment. If your employer does not agree with your perceived market value, you need to determine if you are wrong about your number or if your employer is wrong. If your employer is wrong, find another job. I think it's unlikely that you will get a salary adjustment just because your coworker makes more money.

It's About the Money

I will be very truthful when it comes to negotiating salaries. I am very not good at doing so.

• When I was hired on 2/10/1995 at NDP - my first technical writer job, I was offered $17500 as a starting salary and I countered with $18000, mainly because I like round numbers. I should have asked for more, but I didn't because, in the moment, I was ecstatic to be receiving a job offer at noon on the same day I had come in at 8 for my interview. 
• Note: I have worked as a technical writer 9098 days (24 years, 10 months, 4 weeks, 1 day). I am 33 days (1 month, 2 days) from reaching 25 years in my career. I think I will write more about that fact in the future.
• When I left that job to go to Jordan Systems, I tried to negotiate for a higher salary than I was offered, but was rejected.
• When I left that job to go to Quintrex Data Systems, I tried to negotiate for a higher salary than I was offered, but was rejected.
• When I left that job to go to the Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa, I tried to negotiate for a higher salary than I was offered. I was given that higher job offer but was told I would need to wait until my 2 year anniversary before I would see an increase in salary.
• When I received my job offer from Pearson, I was prepared. I knew what salary I wanted. When the salary was revealed, it was $10,000 MORE than the highest salary in my head! Literally, I was speechless and did not attempt to negotiate, which goes against all the conventional wisdom when it comes to negotiating a salary.
• When I received my job offer during the job search of 2016 in March 2016 from the U of Iowa, I was prepared. I knew what salary I wanted. When the salary was revealed, I attempted to negotiate for a higher salary but was told no. Thinking quickly on my feet, I asked about the laptop that was going to be ordered for me and if I could have 3 monitors because, at Pearson, I only had 2 monitors and could not have a third monitor due to the graphics card. That was accepted, which is why, today and every day that I go to work, I have 3 monitors.

All of that salary history to say that I'm not good at negotiating my salary.


That is why I was reading Should I disclose my salary history? in an effort to educate myself about how to advise Alex. He had a phone interview with a company in Des Moines for a 2020 Summer Internship. The question came up about how Alex ought to answer the question, "What is your required hourly salary?" For questions like this, I like reading Ask the Headhunter to get perspectives I would not otherwise have in my brain.

Finding Relations

I am in a good mood today and I'm making you, the reader of this post, a promise. Here it is. I will answer this prompt prior to the end of this post:

So who [of the Big Bang Theory characters] do you relate to the most? 

To answer that prompt, here's another question for you. Where were you yesterday and 24 years ago?

I was at 200 5th Avenue in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a job interview at Network Data Processing (NDP). A friend of ours had gotten drunk at our New Year's Eve party on 12/31/1994 and told me all about how great NDP was, which is where he worked. Long story short, my interview was at 8 AM and before noon, I had accepted a job offer from John Millard - I was hired for my first technical writing position on the same day as my interview. These are the companies I have worked at as a technical writer:
NDP
Jordan Systems
Quintrex
the Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa
Pearson
University of Iowa, which is where I work now. I spend my workday adding my experience and expertise to two major projects: Disaster Recovery documentation and Knowledge Management.

When I have worked as a technical writer for 24 years, 1 day. My personal plan is to work another 17 years, 1 month, 2 weeks, 3 days (6255 days) here in this department. If I do that, I will reach 20 years of service at the University of Iowa. I will be 66 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days as my 66th birthday will be 12/4/2035, but I would need another 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days (115 days) to reach that 20 years of service milestone.

Over the course of the last 24 years, I have met and gotten to know many fellow technical writers through the Techwr-L list. Tony Chung is one such technical writer - this is his website that I've browsed in the past: https://tonychung.ca/. I know that over the years of my technical writing career, I've corresponded with Tony off-list. I don't know when we have or how often - it's just one of those things I know and you should accept my statements without question! 

It was on Friday, 2/8/2019, when Tony referenced The Big Bang Theory in one of his posts to Techwr-L. His comments about one of my favorite sitcoms prompted me to send Tony an off-list response. I included some links to Youtube.com videos during which Sheldon gives other characters instructions. That IS technical writing - my technical writing jobs have always been about software documentation, which involves a lot of writing instructions that instruct a user how to complete a task within software. While my current two projects are not directly tied to writing software documentation, there is a possibility that I may be able to do so . . . but it's too early to speculate on the likelihood of it happening - it COULD happen, it probably SHOULD happen, but I don't know for certain WHEN it will happen. Regardless, for the majority of the last 8767 days, I have earned a paycheck through working as a technical writer.

Which leads me back to Tony's email and my reply on Friday. I included 2 links (embedded for your convenience). First, there was Sheldon giving Raj instructions:

---

---

And then there was Sheldon giving Penny instructions:

---

---

I really chuckle when I watch that video because it includes this classic line from Penny.

All of that brings me to today. When I got to work today and checked my Techwr-L email account, I read Tony's reply. I immediately began to compose a response, but stopped myself, pasted the original draft of my reply into this blog post and started constructing what you have read to this point. To tie the conclusion of this post to the opening, it was Tony's prompt that caused me to spit these 774 words into this post. Here's my answer:

1. I am not exuding self-confidence (Leonard)
2. I hear a lot of fancy words that people might think I understand but I sometimes don’t but I’m hesitant to call attention to that (Penny)
3. I have a deep affection for comic books, super heroes, Star Wars, and other beloved franchises (Sheldon)
4. I was never a ladies man (Raj)
5. I had a somewhat overbearing mother, though not nearly as overbearing as Mrs. W, and I also married the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met (Howard)
6. I am not usually “thought of” when my friends are constructing plans (Stuart)
7. I am tall (Bert)

Literally

I drive by the General Dynamics building occasionally because it is located within a mile of where I work. After I saw the following blurb, I am hoping that any of my friends that work there are not impacted by this news:

---

---

In a related topic, I received a phone call from a survey company that was interviewing people on behalf of the Iowa Workforce Development department. I used to work at Epley Marketing Services, which was located in North Liberty on Highway 965, from 1994 - 1995, on a part-time basis. I generally would work from 5 - 8 about 3 days a week (usually Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday), interviewing people on behalf of Epley clients. After the interview, my role was to then write a summary of the interview that was then edited by Ann ... it's funny, but I don't remember her last name, but she was a very good editor . . . before being presented to the client. All that is to say, when I get a phone call from a survey company, I typically never hang up. In fact, I consider myself overly nice to anyone that calls our house, even if it's a student from Mount Mercy College (now Mount Mercy University) which is where I graduated from in May 1992. The idea that I am courteous to someone from my Alma Mater is noteworthy because when they call, it's usually to ask for a donation to help the institution. Several years ago, I ceased donating to the institution for a simple reason. A Catholic college invited a pro-choice (pro-killing babies in the womb) speaker for commencement. I thought that was wrong. I thought the invitation should not have been extended for commencement. That said, if the institution wants to invite someone with a pro-choice insanity diagnosis on-campus so that there can be a civil discussion about abortion, great. I think it's awesome to have people with opposing viewpoints get in the same room and try to come to an understanding of the other person's perspective as a way to find a consensus.

Back to last night and my phone call, I talked to the woman on the other end for about 15 minutes. She asked me about

• how long I've worked where I work, 
• if I was looking to leave my employer (ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!), 
• why I left my previous position (My position was eliminated... Stupidly!), 
• if I thought there was a specific training or education I needed in order to advance (I thought this was an interesting question as I really like what I do and don't really want to do anything else), 
• salary & income (I never reveal that over the phone or to anyone), 
• my education
• where I would start looking for a job if I were seeking one (Corridorcareers.com, indeed.com, dice.com were the sites I think I would start with in addition to the other local company websites I have in my browser favorites from January 2016's job search)
• what titles I held before my current one 
• (Senior Technical Writer (Pearson), 
• Senior Technical Writer (unnamed hellhole in southern Iowa), 
• Technical Writer (Quintrex), 
• Technical Writer (Jordan Systems)
• Documentation Specialist (NDP).

Those were the memorable topics we discussed. It was a fun phone call because I always welcome the opportunity to analyze where I have been in my life.

Pictures of My Work Environment

When I came in to the building, the lights turned on. After taking off my coat at my cubicle and turning on my laptop, I went for my morning walk. My morning walk consists of walking up a flight of stairs, walking 2 laps, walking up a flight of stairs, walking 2 laps, walking up a flight of stairs, and walking 2 laps. During the time I was on my morning walk, the lights on the level of the building where I have my cubicle turned off. The lights are controlled by motion sensors. This is the view I saw from the stairs.

The top picture is to the left, the middle picture is to the right, and the bottom picture is to the left. I sit on the left side of the building. If you look closely, you will see light in one of the cubicle rows - that's me. As you can also see, there are windows near me. It's one of the nicest building I've ever worked in. I've worked in mostly flat buildings:

1. Network Data Processing 2/10/95 - 2/10/98 - 3 floors (including basement)
2. Jordan Systems - 2/11/98 - 9/30/98 - flat
3. Quintrex Data Systems - 10/1/98 - 10/15/2010 - flat
4. Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa - 10/18/2010 - 4/13/2011 - 2 floors
5. Pearson - 5/31/2011 - 1/26/2016 - flat, more or less, but there was an incline to get from one part of the building to the other
6. U of I - 3/28/16 - until I retire! - 4 floors

 Google Photos created the following for me:

All that said, I now return to my task of being the department's only technical writer. I am going to work on my disaster recovery documentation in RoboHelp for a while before I turn my attention to some sweet MS Word macros, which I'll describe in a future post.

During my walk today, I spotted the following, which I thought were funny enough to include in this post:

Down the Lane

I read this article - Sympathy Card to a Front-End Developer By Carla Pileggi October 9, 2017 - twice.

The first time, I thought about the low-hanging fruit. Immediately, the story was relevant to my days at Quintrex, the company I worked at from 10/1/1998 to 10/15/2010. The article tells a story about a grieving developer as his beloved system's user interface was being redesigned by the author. At Quintrex, there was a point during those 12 years when our systems had been developed in multiple programming languages and by multiple teams. There was not a single "Quintrex" look and feel. There were rules for using the systems and those rules were dictated by the programming language / team, not by Quintrex, the company. At some point, the decision was made that all of our systems would be converted to (yet another) programming language. It was kind of a running joke. There was always an effort to rewrite the systems in a single programming language and the list of the "chosen" or "standard" programming language was changed several times over the years.

At one point, there was a meeting I attended. The reason I remember this specific meeting is because it was very tense. None of the teams wanted to concede anything about their workflow because, and I get this, their workflow made sense to them and the thought of re-learning the way they did their job was scary. The meeting was riddled with a lot of subtle (and sometimes not subtle) statements, such as these:

---

Your system in your programming language looks bad.
My system in my programming language looks awesome.
As a company, we should adopt the way my team do things.
The way my team does things should be the new standard.
All you other teams should have changed your standards to match mine years ago
No, of course I don't have my team's standards in a document that you can read - we know how to do our job!

---

Of course, no, no one actually said those exact words, but there would have been a higher degree of honesty in the room if someone had actually just said those words.

Recalling that meeting in my brain was intriguing so I reread the article. This time, though, I extracted the Developer reaction text from the article into this blog post. Originally, my idea was to use them as a springboard for writing this post. I thought this post would be summarizing the meeting above only. But then something made me think about something else. But before I get to that, here are the stages from the article:

---

Stage I: Denial

Upon seeing the new sketches, the developer’s first reaction was to deny the reality of the situation.
Developer: “I’m sorry, I don’t think you can even do that in HTML. Errr, no, no…. Technically, this just can’t be done. Sorry.”

Stage II: Anger

Developer: “This is wrong—all wrong. You don’t understand this product. I do. Our users won’t like this. Stop sketching and listen to me! Have you worked on this type of application before? These designs are ridiculous! Why aren’t you listening to me?”

Stage III: Bargaining

Developer: “Um, your colors…. Your colors are good. Let’s just take your colors and put them on the existing user interface. Then, can’t we just leave everything else alone?”

Stage IV: Depression

Developer: “You know, I never really cared about what the user interface looked like anyway.”

Stage V: Acceptance

Developer: “Do all of the new product designs have to be implemented in this release?”

---

As I mentioned, the article is presented in the context of a Developer grieving over the changes to a product he brought to life. As I reread the article, I applied my 20+ years of working perspective, I can apply the Developer's grief to my own work as a technical writer when there is a transition. Over the course of my career as a technical writer, I have gone through many transitions. I will name only one at each employer, but, especially at Quintrex, I went through many transitions:

1. NDP: converting from using OfficeVision to write training documentation to using MS Word
2. JSI: transitioning from being a 'stand-alone' silo-type operation to consolidating each person's information / knowledge into a central repository.
3. QDS: transitioning from documentation being a 'stand-alone' silo-type operation where each Quality Assurance tester wrote or updated documentation to developing a workflow where I was to review the changes to the system and figure out what documentation needed to be changed.
4. Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa: honestly, bringing me into the department and having me question the tools we used (InDesign) was a big transition. Also, since I was to focus on creating online Help, that was a very different mindset.
5. Pearson: converting from using MS Word and distributing user guides as PDFs to using Confluence
6. Where I am now: transitioning from being a 'stand-alone' silo-type operation to consolidating each person's information / knowledge into a central repository so that I can publish consolidated disaster recovery documentation

Each of the above transitions had pain points that deeply impacted me as a person as well as me as a technical writer. I credit Carla Pileggi with giving me a new way to look at my past.