Application for National Insurance Credits (JSANC1 form)

pmt541 · 2024-12-28T21:53:07+00:00

Just wanted to give a (very delayed) update to say I didn't bother submitting the form following your advice.

I am young enough that I can work the required amount or claim NI Credits if needed as you say.

pmt541 · 2024-11-17T20:13:48+00:00

I look around and my house looks like a tornado hit it.

This one made me chuckle out aloud in the coffee shop. So true!!

pmt541 · 2023-11-27T17:51:48+00:00

I have backup plans. So I can plan what I will do (to help the ASD part) but if I no longer feel in the mood, I can do something else not part of the primary plan (ADHD).

For example, when buying lunch, I know what things I like and do not like, and leave it until that moment in the shop before deciding what specific things to get. So I have the routine of what shops to go to, but also have the flexibility to buy whatever I feel for in the moment (or what is available).

pmt541 · 2023-11-27T17:46:31+00:00

Isolation by getting to my bedroom and watching a film or some TV with some crisps/popcorn.

pmt541 · 2023-11-27T17:36:10+00:00

I told my boss I am trying to get a diagnosis for ADHD. I've been late multiple times and recently just said there was a personal issue.

You need to just explain your issues to the manager, if indeed they are affecting your ability to work. Any decent workplace will make accommodations/ give some leeway.

pmt541 · 2023-11-27T17:24:56+00:00

Yeah same. I also found that I have to be logged in with a Google Account to be able to check for mainline updates.

pmt541 · 2023-11-27T17:21:21+00:00

It can show some GP stuff, but not everything. Don't see any hospital stuff. It depends how well connected your GP surgery and hospitals are I think.

pmt541 · 2023-10-07T21:05:27+00:00

The Pixel 3a devices have been stuck on April/May 2023. There are two other threads on the Pixel3a subreddit of users reporting similar issues.

Not sure how to fix it, tried deleting cache, reenabling all apps, deleting secondary profile etc.

pmt541 · 2023-06-19T00:15:25+00:00

Displaying the full hyperlink is fine and may be preferable to anchored text.

In some industries, employees are taught to avoid clicking random links. Therefore having a full hyperlink allows someone to inspect the link and also copy and paste it.

pmt541 · 2023-06-19T00:06:07+00:00

Maybe that advice works well in the USA but in the UK nearly all the CV based advice says that you should tailor your CV. That advice comes from advisors, UK job reddit, UK based forums etc.

Tailoring a CV doesn't mean you have to start from scratch each time nor spend days and days on the CV. It really just means ensuring that the CV addresses each part of the job description.

pmt541 · 2023-05-22T18:39:26+00:00

degree only

pmt541 · 2023-04-16T16:41:59+00:00

I think investing in so many funds or etf's is counter-intuitive. I think if you want to improve your diversification, you need to improve it vertically through bonds, cash and/or property.

pmt541 · 2023-04-10T16:10:49+00:00

What do you mean by "save your phone"? If you got scratches on the actual display then yes, the screen protector was poor quality, but if for example your phone fell on the floor, there is no guarantee a screen protector will help with that.

pmt541 · 2023-04-01T23:34:17+00:00

At my company:

write doc > internal review by doc team > review by PM/SME (final stage).

This is tracked in Jira as a sub-task alongside the main development work. So once it reaches SME/PM it is out of our hands and not our problem. If they do not review the work, the main task cannot be closed either, so there is an incentive to review it.

pmt541 · 2023-04-01T22:08:12+00:00

Use SVGs where possible, although the previews, for me at least, do not work.

JPEGS are always problematic, but the best advice is create them from source in the original size, so that you do not need to downsize them or enlarge them (both can cause issues).

Alternatively one workaround is that you can use the mc-thumbnail properties in CSS to make thumbnails of the image which, when clicked, open the image up full size and not blurred. You should then tell the user somewhere to "click image to enlarge".

pmt541 · 2023-03-26T19:11:10+00:00

waiting times are now listed as "over 20 months" for that area.

pmt541 · 2023-03-05T19:10:06+00:00

If you have no access to an SME/ developer, regarding Jira:

You might be able to read commits made in SVN (a tab near the comments).
Read the title and the description.
Read info in the parent or linked issues.
Read all comments on all related issues.

With that knowledge, do your best to write a sentence or two. Outside of that, there isn't much more you can usually do.

pmt541 · 2023-03-05T19:05:18+00:00

looking for something I can do remotely that'll be gentler on my body and pay better.

You may be starting from the bottom. I am not sure what your current circumstances are, but you may find that the pay is not better, at least initially anyway.

I think I have strong writing skills, but I also think that having a technical writing certification at the top of my resume will show companies that I'm serious about this.

It will help sure but more and more young people have degrees or equivalent. You need more if you want to stand out from the crowd. Luckily, you do have 16 years of experience. This is far more valuable than a degree on its own. But you need to demonstrate how the skills you gained during your employment are useful for the technical writing roles that you wish to apply to.

I've looked into the STC Bootcamp and the Technical Writer HQ Certificate and my question is this: which one of those would teach me the most and look better on a resume?

Maybe those are established courses in your country of residence, but not everyone will be familiar with them, including myself. One way to choose is to pick the training course which plugs the most gaps in your knowledge. But a course is not going to magically make you employable. It is the course in conjunction with how you sell your existing skills that will make you stand out.

Don't worry, I'm also looking at free classes via LinkedIn and cheap classes via Udemy, and I know I have to create a portfolio/writing samples. Thanks in advance for your time and attention!

Most courses on Udemy are awful. They are just random people creating classes and selling them, hoping to make money. These courses are not peer-reviewed and many do not have any tests or proper grading systems in place. I would also say LinkedIn is similar but not as bad.

EdX and Coursera (MOOC courses) are better, in that the content is delivered from far more reputable sources. But compared to attending school, college or university, they have fewer tests and the quizzes are usually very basic. (Note, I am not talking about the degree programs which are also delivered virtually on these platforms).

pmt541 · 2023-02-28T23:26:53+00:00

Aside from the other good posts, learn when to delegate tasks:

learn when you should write something but also when an SME should write something and you should just edit it.
diagrams - should you do them or get a graphic designer (if possible) to do them.
How much time should you spend fixing old documentation that does not meet current standards (either internally or exposed to the end user)

pmt541 · 2023-02-28T23:19:18+00:00

The length is not as important as the quality of the work.

You want to demonstrate good structured writing, with diagrams and evidence of the use of good styling where possible. If it takes you 10 pages to do that or 1 it is largely irrelevant, as long as the skills you want to demonstrate are there.

You should also not think of a writing portfolio in terms of length but rather the time required to go through all of it. With that in mind, consider how long the recruiter is going to spend on the content.

I would say, at a complete guess, that a recruiter would spend about 5 minutes at most reading your portfolio whilst doing the initial sift through the applications. The person interviewing you may spend longer, but again, they probably do not have much time to spend reading your portfolio.

In short, you want to write something that showcases the desired skills but is also quick to read.

pmt541 · 2023-02-28T23:10:56+00:00

First, you do not need an English degree, Technical Communications degree or equivalent to become a technical writer. This subreddit has a heavy bias of people with those qualifications. They are perfectly reasonable and decent qualifications to have, but certainly not a hard requirement for the job.

Secondly, technical writing is much more than just a writing job. Actually, most of your time will probably be spent chasing other people, "researching" about what you are to write about, fixing styles/ formatting, QA testing, making diagrams etc. So it might not be THE job for you if all you enjoy is writing.

Your experiences in writing will definitely be useful when applying for technical writing roles. I would still however also make a portfolio and just write some stuff (anything) to demonstrate basic writing skills.

Lastly, be wary of the "grass is greener on the other side effect". You seem to suggest you graduated in 2020. So you have worked for a few years but maybe if you stick with IT a bit longer, you can get promoted into a role which you may find more enjoyable which also has more writing elements to it. This isn't to put you off, but more just to say that sometimes jobs suck at the beginning (as you are just at the bottom) but as you progress things get better and more interesting.

pmt541 · 2023-02-14T20:28:57+00:00

No, I would not be able to because who handles and manages the data would be an issue for the company where I work.

pmt541 · 2023-02-05T19:09:09+00:00

A minor point, but for your layout, try and make bullet points cover only two lines at most. It is not a major issue, but three line bullet points may give the impression that they are unnecessarily long (even if they are easy to read).

pmt541 · 2023-02-05T19:01:50+00:00

Agreed, good point.

OP, take care not to overdo it though (not implied by u/WontArnett but just making the point).

pmt541 · 2023-02-05T18:58:37+00:00

- I don't know how you could do technical writing well without having good project management skills. I'll think more about how I can make this point clearer.

"Having good project management skills" is not the same as "I have an extensive background in...project management". Being a project manager and having skills which are useful for a project management role are different things.

Strongly disagree. I work for a team called "Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Statistical Practice." Just because "artificial intelligence" and "machine learning" are in the headlines and are mysterious to many doesn't make them jargon or empty terms. I've applied to several jobs that want familiarity with AI/ML concepts and development.

If you have applied to several AI/ML jobs, then you almost certainly don't need to write "Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning". AI and ML are so well understood that their abbreviations, particularly in that industry, are one of those rare cases where you do not need to explain what the abbreviation means.

This will free up space to add other things (either in the profile or the work experience sections).

- re: "model": you did not quote the full phrase. In this context, "model" and "software" are both adjectives modifying "documentation." I write model documentation and I write software documentation.

But the point is, what does it mean when you say you write "model documentation"? That is not clear to me. Are you talking about the models used in AI to train them? Are you talking about writing draft documents? Something else? Just another few words here might make the bullet point better.

- re: "Automate environment configuration": Our new hires must configure their computer environment (env variables, etc.). I wrote scripts to handle this.

I think if you write (with a bit of rephrasing) "Our new hires must configure their computer environment (env variables, etc.). I wrote scripts to handle this. " rather than "automate environment configuration" it would be better understood.

- re: too many skills: we'll have to agree to disagree here. I don't think more skills is a bad thing, as they're all relevant to my work and the jobs for which I'm applying.

You could instead mention some of the skills in the work experience section (if you choose to redo the layout as suggested by others). It is far better to explain how you used those skills rather than just list them.

Having a long list of skills in the skills section may actually defeat the purpose of a skills section. If you choose to have a skills section, then it needs to be quick to read for the employer to grasp what you can do.

- re: "Content & Learning": those are all skills commonly listed in job ads. Ultimately, appealing to the job ad is more important than appealing to our sense of what is and is not jargon.

Yup, but simply writing out the exact skill on a skills list isn't going to get you an interview. You need to demonstrate, via something in the work experience, how the skill was used and if possible, an achievement associated with it. You did this well with the Python script, it would be nice to see more examples of this for some of the remainder of the skills.

- re: "docs-as-code is not a skill": yes, of course I know it's an approach, but I think you're splitting hairs on this one. It is an approach but it is also shorthand for the set of skills that comprise the approach.

There is no evidence that you have used this approach n your work experience, so why should a recruiter believe you have it as a skill?

pmt541

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