The tech industry creates a two-dimensional bind for workers—we're not just afraid of losing our jobs, we're also afraid of getting left behind and losing our place in the industry while so many others are being hollowed out (usually by the tech industry itself).
"The psychology of the betrayed believer sets in: workers who believed in tech's promises now face exploitation while being told they should be grateful." oof.
Tech has long had a cult mentality, with all of the psychological abuses that come with that dynamic. I think for folks like you and me who had success in that system and believed in its espoused meritocracy, it's not just that the pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction, it's the force and speed at which it is doing so.
In the olden days it was exploitation with a wink and a smile. Now just the exploitation part remains.
I pretty much do all 3 of your bullets at once. I’m a grants and program evaluation professional in a disability services agency, which is government adjacent. I get paid to write, to champion disability rights, and to support academic research. I have a “useless” degree in the humanities (that so many tech people told me was worthless). This is not a sexy job, but I get paid decently to work an extremely flexible job without a ton of corporate bullshit. My next jump will probably be government leadership or policy implementation, but I could also work 100% for myself as a grants contractor (once my students loans are forgiven).
Interestingly, back when I used Reddit and I would mention being a technical writer, I’d get dozens of PM requests for advice about breaking into technical writing. When I mentioned I worked in grants, immediately everyone would stop responding. This makes me think that there’s also some status bullshit going on regarding tech. My form of applied writing isn’t elite enough for all these under-employed technical writers. How ironic.
Haha, that’s interesting! Yes, I know that technical writing in the tech industry was a big deal because of the tech hype, but now you have a more stable job than all those writers who went into tech.
"The psychology of the betrayed believer sets in: workers who believed in tech's promises now face exploitation while being told they should be grateful." oof.
Tech has long had a cult mentality, with all of the psychological abuses that come with that dynamic. I think for folks like you and me who had success in that system and believed in its espoused meritocracy, it's not just that the pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction, it's the force and speed at which it is doing so.
In the olden days it was exploitation with a wink and a smile. Now just the exploitation part remains.
Yes, definitely. I have been taken off guard not by the pendulum swing away from worker-friendly policies, but by the speed at which that happened.
I pretty much do all 3 of your bullets at once. I’m a grants and program evaluation professional in a disability services agency, which is government adjacent. I get paid to write, to champion disability rights, and to support academic research. I have a “useless” degree in the humanities (that so many tech people told me was worthless). This is not a sexy job, but I get paid decently to work an extremely flexible job without a ton of corporate bullshit. My next jump will probably be government leadership or policy implementation, but I could also work 100% for myself as a grants contractor (once my students loans are forgiven).
Interestingly, back when I used Reddit and I would mention being a technical writer, I’d get dozens of PM requests for advice about breaking into technical writing. When I mentioned I worked in grants, immediately everyone would stop responding. This makes me think that there’s also some status bullshit going on regarding tech. My form of applied writing isn’t elite enough for all these under-employed technical writers. How ironic.
Haha, that’s interesting! Yes, I know that technical writing in the tech industry was a big deal because of the tech hype, but now you have a more stable job than all those writers who went into tech.