While the field of usability has existed for decades, the number and quality of careers in the field have greatly improved in the last 10-15 years. The long-term prognosis for the industry is good: there are constant opportunities in almost every industry since new products and technology come out all the time, in usability as well as user-centered design, interaction design and user experience design.
#32052
Five Things to Do While Offline
You still (should) have all your receipts, invoices, and other financial documentation at hand. Why not go through everything, to see if you have to make changes to your budget or financial setup?
Contract Worker (2008). Careers>Management>Financial
#29374
Five Tips for Developing the Soft Skills IT Pros Need 
As an IT support pro, you not only need to be able to diagnose computer problems, you also must be able to effectively communicate the problem to the user. Use these tips to develop your soft skills, become a star player, and move up the IT ladder.
Firey, Carla. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Business Communication>Technology
#23541
Professionals do not have to leave career progression to fate. Chart a career course that will bring personal achievement and satisfaction. A five-year career plan is a road map that allows for progress tracking, and development of solutions or alternate courses of action. Develop this action plan through self-assessment, and examination of the present and future. Consider several factors during career plan development and update the plan on a yearly basis. Use the written plan as a career guide and self-evaluation tool.
Crump, Jocelyn. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>TC>Planning
#30357
Focus on Consulting: When Home is Where You Do Your Job
The freedom to be a consultant or independent contractor (C&IC), to work on your own, to work at home, to 'tele-commute' has become one of the principal aspects that entices otherwise happy, healthy, sane people to leave their jobs and hang out their shingles. But like nearly every other aspect of being independently employed, working out of the home presents advantages and disadvantages in such areas as lifestyle, professionalism, and tax considerations.
Boston Broadside (1989). Careers>Consulting>Freelance
#31590
Focus Research on Your Most Valuable "Capital"
The entire concept of human "capital" seems to have arisen during the last several years of booming economy and scarce availability of skilled employees. When any resource is scarce, it's valuable. Now with the highest rates of layoffs being announced in the U.S. since 1991, let's hope the mindset of management is not on the order of getting the most out of the human "liabilities" they're forced to retain.
Sinickas, Angela D. Sinickas Communications (2001). Careers>Management>Assessment
#22028
The essentials for the budding tech writer including reference, style manuals, optional recommendations, and other various books on Technical Writing.
#30148
Forging Effective Partnerships with Clients 
Numerous helpful references and courses teach us how information developers can create value for clients through good project management, but getting our partners to recognize that value remains a challenge.
Knodel, Elinor L. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Consulting>Collaboration
#23424
Formalism and its Impact on Technical Writing
Discusses briefly the work market for technical communicators and their careers.
Baumert, Andreas. TC-FORUM (2000). Careers>TC>Multimedia>Technical Writing
#15136
Four Tips for Professional Development
Discusses how technical communicators can keep themselves marketable at a time when technologies and work environments are rapidly changing.
Dimick, Sharlyn A. Intercom (2002). Careers>Education>Continuing
#27548
Constantly stressed out? Not enough hours in the day to get things done? Ryan Carson has a theory: your problem is too much work time, not too little.
Carson, Ryan. List Apart, A (2006). Careers>Workplace>Planning
#31130
The Freelance Copywriter's Six-Pack
This 24-page e-book is a compilation of six articles, all focused on starting and growing a successful freelance copywriting business. In addition to the articles, there is also a resource page with suggestions for courses and further reading.
Usborne, Nick. FreeIQ (2007). Careers>Freelance>Writing>Business Communication
#25218
Freelance Copywriters: Double Your Income
Freelance copywriters are a strange group of people when it comes to running their own businesses.
Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2005). Careers>Web Design>Writing
#14098
Freelance Online is a professional online service for freelancers in the publishing and advertising fields. It serves as a directory for employers and as a resource and information center for freelancers. Freelance Online was launched in January 1996. Located in a suburb of Philadelphia, Freelance Online is committed to serving freelancers and employers already established and those who are new to the world of freelancing. Freelance Online's goal is to provide the most comprehensive listing of freelancers available, including not only established, seasoned professionals but also fresh, new talent.
#24071
If you're a freelancer/contract tech writer, you need to promote yourself. Think of yourself as a store with exactly one product, namely your time. You can only sell that product to one customer at a time. What you need to do is make sure each sale is a good one, and that you sell as much of your time as possible, because no one pays you for down time if you're independent.
Tech Writing Jobs. Careers>Freelance>Writing>Technical Writing
#22049
This is an example of a typical agreement used for freelance writing assignments. Not that there is specific limitation of rights granted to the “buyer.” In no case do you want to sell blanket rights to your writing. It may be necessary to do it, but make every effort to negotiate a first national rights condition. If the clients wants more, get them to pay more.
#24305
A web portal for freelance writers, with career advice and articles about a variety of topics.
#22056
Freelance, Independent, Contractor, Consultant...
If getting into the technical writing business is a challenge, and it assuredly is, defining our employment status often poses a few questions too. Naturally, there’s the common full-time employee status we all know and understand fairly well, but when we find ourselves dealing with a technical services or technical consulting firm there can be some murky waters, and more than a few aberrations of the “traditional” understanding of the term. So, we need to define some “terms” of employment since the majority of technical writers will ultimately encounter variations.
#31397
Freelancers: Look Beyond the Obvious to Find Corporate Markets, and Know How to Deliver
We haven't yet met a corporate communicator who felt overstaffed. Budgets have been cut to the bone, responsibility has expanded, there are new communication tools to learn about and new directions to explore. For smart freelancers, this spells opportunity. In our last column we looked at the editor/freelance writer equation from the in-house person's viewpoint and, as promised, we will take the freelancer's perspective this time.
Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Careers>Freelance
#10488
Katharine Oï¿Moore-Klopf responded to the call in the last issue of The Freelancer for information on freelancers who have been successful in working outside of New York City. She lives in East Setauket in Suffolk County, Long Island, a two-hour trip from Manhattan. After eight years of commuting to work as a production editor for a Manhattan medical publisher, she decided to work from home so she could spend time with her new baby. She reports that she puts in an average of 35 hours a week. She is currently doing production of a medical journal for her most recent former employer, editing a medical journal as well as medical textbooks for a Manhattan publisher, and editing fiction and mass-market nonfiction for yet another former employer. She also proofreads a medical journal and expects to begin doing electronic editing soon.
Maas, Georgia. Editorial Freelancers Association (1996). Careers>Consulting
#27774
Freelancing From Home: Don't Interview Folks in Your Pajamas
Have you ever considered breaking out of your nine to five and 5-by-5-foot cubicle to become a full-time freelance writer?
Hartsock, Nettie. WhitePaperSource (2006). Careers>Freelance>Business Communication>White Papers
#19732
Freelancing in Technical Writing – Part I
Freelancing is one of the most lucrative options available to Technical Writers. While being your own boss may sound pleasant, it is not as easy as it sounds.
Pandit, Makarand M. Indus (2003). Careers>Freelance>Writing>Technical Writing
#22653
To live the freelance life is to live a life of uncertainty. Not knowing when or from where your next paycheck is coming requires a certain mind-set that not everyone possesses. Some may argue that with so many companies struggling just to keep their heads above water now that the bang is out of the Big Web Boom, full-time work is no more secure than the freelance lifestyle. But before you unplug that feeding tube once and for all, ask yourself if you really have what it takes.
Thomas, Evany. Webmonkey (1998). Careers>Freelance>Web Design
#21208
So you think you've got the cojones to be a freelancer, eh? Then join Evany as she gives you some pointers on this wild and woolly career move.
Thomas, Evany. Webmonkey (2001). Careers>Freelance>Web Design
#31935
From an Employer's Wish-List to Your CV
In this column I'll give you my strategy for preparing a CV and point you towards useful resources, but first of all let me assume that you are planning to start your career within the UK job market. CV styles vary across the world.
Science (2003). Careers>Resumes>Regional>United Kingdom
