1-98 (March 1998) Consulting by Alexander von Obert by Ron Blicq Germany Canada

Hello Ron,

here in Germany more and more technical communicators are "going independent". Quite often I am sure that they did not intend to go this route but see no other possibility. Some of them may have an university degree such as biology, geology, chemistry, physics - but they often lack even basic knowledge of many things they should know before becoming an independent communicator, not to mention their ability to offer consulting.

On the other side there are those who have lots of experience and then get independent. I left the "safe haven" at my employer in 1989 when the job got boring and I could only find same-level alternatives. A few years later my former employer decided to out-source documentation. A former colleague used that opportunity to start his own business.

The first group of independents tries to get jobs at any price. They have definitely destroyed the price structure in the greater Berlin area. Most development and production that had been subsidized in West Berlin has left and most of the East German producing economy has collapsed. You always find someone who wants to do it another bit cheaper...

I hardly see manufacturers who think that good documentation would help their sales figures. EU (European Union) regulations more and more require that documentation must be delivered and quite often say a lot about required contents. But I see not so many traces of this at my work.

With a sluggish economy and more than 12% official unemployment rate times aren't so good for newcomers. I am happy that I took my route eight years ago. These days I actively search for jobs over the Internet and if someone asks about my qualifications I can simply write him "search for me at Altavista".

You cannot build such a portfolio within a few months...

Response from Ron Blicq

Alexander:

Thank you for responding to my article. Your comments certainly paint a different picture than the picture I see in Canada. Yet one thing seems to come through your words, which is common in Canada too: those who are very good at their work will succeed, once they have established a "track record." The hard part for the newcomer to independent consulting is establishing that history.

The successful independents also hire or subcontract work to other independents when their "plate becomes too full." Again, they hire only those who are good at their work; those with less skill get hired only once.

Ron Blicq  

"transline Deutschland - Übersetzungsdienst für technische Übersetzung"