For over thirteen years, TimelyText has worked with North Carolina’s most talented writers and editors. The diverse skillsets and expertise of these men and women have earned our company the strong reputation we enjoy today. In fact, that relationship is at the center of our efforts to help every employee find their ideal working situation.
In honor of their hard work and (in some cases) years of dedication, we at Timely are profiling several of our current and former associates on our blog. We want to share their lives and success stories as a way for people to learn a little more about them, and to see how TimelyText has helped them in their careers.
For this entry, we sat down with technical writer Les Williams to discuss his life, career, experience, and passions.
Whether riding long stretches on his motorcycle, playing bluegrass on his Dobro, or seeking adventures with his daughter, Les Williams is the epitome of a Renaissance man.
A long-time technical writer and friend of the TimelyText team, Les’ diverse interests and technical expertise have garnered him a reputation as someone who can get things done.
With a career spanning decades, Les said it’s learning to enjoy the little things that’s kept his life and occupation so exciting. Of all the exciting things to happen across his career, Les said becoming a father has been far and beyond the most incredible.
“Becoming a father nine years ago changed my perspective quite a bit,” he said. “My daughter’s a huge part of my life, and I do my best to teach and experience all I can with her.”
Les said he was looking for something stable at this point in his career, hoping to find that work/life balance that would allow him to spend more time with his daughter and explore his passions. Reaching out to TimelyText, Les worked with founder Ronnie Duncan and vice president Adrian West to find his perfect fit.
What started as a three-month contract for Les wind-milled into placement at Red Hat, Inc. as both a technical writer and editor.
“Ronnie and Adrian really take a different approach,” he said. “They work for their clients and the writers on the assignments. They cater to them both. That’s why their support model works so well.”
Les said it was TimelyText’s attention to his personal goals that really helped him find his ideal job.
“We talked about my interests, and they tailored their efforts to fit that,” he said. “They helped to channel my interests, talents, and goals into what would be the best fit.”
Les said the flexibility and dynamic nature of the job is what he enjoys the most, especially in how it’s allowed him time to explore his passions.
“That’s really what drew me to the field,” he said. “I’ve always viewed work as secondary, wanting to be flexible and find fulfillment in other places. This kind of work really allows for that.”
Les began his career working as radar technician in and for the Navy. After getting first-hand exposure to the technical side of things, he finished college and found opportunities in technical writing.
“I thought about becoming a creative writer, but I didn’t want to contribute to the canon of bad literature,” he said in jest. “I’ve been able to move around the country a bit, learn new things, meet a variety of people, and that’s been a pleasure.”
In his varied professional life, Les said he found time to pick up numerous hobbies and appreciations that he now shares with his daughter. He possesses a passion for gardening, bike modification, an assortment of musical genres, and he even dabbles with poetry.
“Working with my daughter on her homework has made the editor in me realize what a gift that is,” he said. “I finally realized how great it’s been to work in a field that comes naturally to me and to have gotten to explore what I have.”
Les said he would highly recommend TimelyText to writers and editors who have specific career aspirations and want help achieving them.
“I think anyone who’s clear about what they want and the work they want to do can benefit from TimelyText, he said. “TimelyText’s really the best option out there.”
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I’m a storyteller!
Exactly how I’ve told stories has changed through the years, going from writing college basketball analysis in the pages of a newspaper to now, telling the stories of the people of TimelyText. Nowadays, that means helping a talented technical writer land a new gig by laying out their skills, or even a quick blog post about a neat project one of our instructional designers is finishing in pharma.
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