Improvements in Your Free Time Can Improve Your Work Time

Posted on November 12, 2018 by

I’ve written previously about not bringing your personal dramas into work. However, today I thought I’d turn things around and discuss how it can be beneficial to bring the good things you’re doing into the office. You don’t need to share everything, mind you, but enough that your coworkers, clients, and supervisors know that you’re doing well. Continue reading →

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Observing Change in Your Industry

Posted on November 8, 2018 by

It’s been nearly ten years since last attended a conference for the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), which is the professional association for aerospace engineers. While I posted my observations of what happened, I haven’t yet written my reactions to the changes since 2009. What I saw pleased me on a professional level, so I thought I’d share my observations here. Continue reading →

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What IF Tech Writers Were Replaced by Machines?

Posted on November 5, 2018 by

I’ve been reading (as is my thing) a lot of science fact and fiction books and internet posts about future technologies and transforming societies lately. Some of the more gung-ho technologists look forward to the time when machines–robots, computers, call them what you will–are able to do many of the things even content creators do now. Technology continues to be a mixed blessing, like all human inventions, giving with one hand and taking with another. Are we really on the verge of being replaced? In a previous post, I said that I doubt it, but it’s still an interesting thought experiment. Continue reading →

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Is It Better to Be Part of a Cause or an Industry?

Posted on November 1, 2018 by

Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked as an advocate for human spaceflight, a professional for organizations building the hardware, and a little bit of both now and then. Both roles have their parts to play, with each having its own advantages and disadvantages for the practicing or aspiring technical writer. Continue reading →

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For Whom Do You Work?

Posted on October 29, 2018 by

“Who do you work for?” is a common question in the Midwest where I grew up, but aside from the bad grammar (ending a question with a preposition–horrors!), I think it overlooks a more interesting and important question: for whom do you work? Yes, you might have an employer or client, but all that says is who provides you with a paycheck. Phrased that way, you’re really asking who (or what) motivates you to do what you do. The answer(s) you give say a lot about where you work and why. Continue reading →

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Keywords and Job Searches

Posted on October 25, 2018 by

I’m always curious about how recruiters find my name because some of the jobs are obviously so far off from my skill set, I wonder if they’re reading my LinkedIn profile correctly. At the moment I am not looking for work; however, if I were, I would make an effort to do so, I would make certain that recruiters are reaching out to me for the right reasons. Below are some thoughts that might be useful to you. Continue reading →

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Managing Your Money

Posted on October 22, 2018 by

Added content. Oops.

I’ll admit it: I’ve succumbed to the craziness and bought a few (four, to be exact) tickets for the MegaMillions lottery jackpot, which as of this writing sits at a ridiculous 1.6 billion U.S. Dollars. To get my $8 worth of entertainment out of the purchase, I took the time to develop a detailed spreadsheet delineating how I would apply said jackpot. However, realizing that instant wealth can create its own problems, I decided to do a little practical research on how seriously wealthy people actually handle their money. The advice was useful enough that I thought I’d pass it along, even if I don’t win said jackpot (odds of winning are one in over 302 million). Continue reading →

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