Freelance vs. Captive: Making an Informed Decision

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Ever thought that you might be cut out for the glamorous, high-paying, and rather bohemian lifestyle possible with a freelance existence? Not everyone is suited for freelance work . . . but neither is everyone suited for captivity. This webinar will identify the pros and cons for captivity (i.e., "full-time" or "permanent" employment) and freelance work, then shows how to identify your personal employment goals and how to fit these into the pros for each career path. There will also be suggestions for those who haven't tried freelance work yet on how to get started freelancing on the side, something that could be of great value in today's economy.

The slides for the entire presentation, along with a variety of other resources, will be available for download through the presenter's website.

John Hedtke is the award-winning author of 26 books. He has 30 years in the software business, close to 30 years writing, and 7 years in technical publications management. John has developed and written documentation and books for many leading software products, and has received 26 writing awards to date. A complete list of books, articles, projects, and awards can be found online at his website, www.hedtke.com.

John owns a small company that offers writing and business consulting services for a variety of private, public, and governmental clients. John also does numerous radio and magazine interviews and frequently travels to do lectures and guest appearances at conferences and seminars. John was the last Region 7 Director on the Society for Technical Communication's Board of Directors and is a Fellow of the Society.

January 2011

STC offers a number of ways for technical communicators to further their education and expand their skill sets.

In addition to the STC annual conference, the Society offers Web seminars. In a seminar, participants listen to the presenter over the phone (much like a conference call) while viewing presentation materials via the website. This format provides easier access to materials for reference during the presentation, as well as a more intimate, "classroom" setting than the typical telephone seminar. Registrants are provided a toll-free number, a secure URL, and access to both the audio and online elements of the presentation.

Benefits: No travel time; Pay per site and not per person; Train without leaving the office

Cost: Members $79 each; Nonmembers $149 each, Student Member $29 each. Note: Cost is transferable but is not refundable.

Note: The webinar platform does not support Voice Over IP (VOIP) for Apple Macintosh system. Participants using Macintosh computers can access all other functions of the platform and use the 800 dial-in number instead of VOIP.