Jörg Lauersdorf

How and when did you join tecteam?

In September 1989, I began a continuing education program to become a technical writer, offered by tecteam in collaboration with the T.O.P. Computer School. It was the TR1 course, the first one that tecteam ran on its own. Classes were held at the location on Heiligen Weg at the corner of Märkische Straße; at that time, tecteam was still located just a few meters further down the street, on Hansbergstraße. After 15 months of training and a 3-month internship, I started working as an editor at tecteam on March 1, 1991.

What does a typical day at tecteam look like for you?

Turn on the computer, grab some coffee, say hi to my coworkers, have a quick, informal update meeting with my team, “check 148 more emails,” and then I get to work, depending on what needs to be done. I take care of clients, write proposals, draft instructions, and sometimes even visit clients on-site…
And when evening rolls around, I get to go home again.

What do you like most about your job?

The variety. Of course, you don’t do something completely different or new every day, but because I work for a service provider, new challenges and issues that call for solutions keep cropping up over the years.

As a TR, what software can't you do without?

Back when I first started out as an editor, it used to be Ventura Publisher, but that was a long time ago. However, one of my clients still uses it today. Otherwise, FrameMaker and InDesign are the standard tools these days—tools that hardly any editor can do without. But for us, it always depends on the client.

What do you do after work?

I love spending my free time with my wife—or even better, with the whole family—but since my boys are slowly growing up and some of them have already moved out, that’s becoming less and less common. When they were younger, I used to take my kids to their sports activities, like volleyball and basketball. These days, I try to go biking at least once in a while, and—even at my “advanced age”—I’ve started learning to play an instrument (electric bass) and make a little music with a colleague.

What are the must-see attractions in Dortmund?

A BVB game at their home stadium—which I can always see right from my office window—is really great and well worth checking out.
I enjoy listening to live music at the Piano Music Theater.
And watching fireworks at Westfalenpark—for example, from our company’s rooftop terrace—is also very nice.

The sun is shining, the lounge chairs on the tecteam rooftop terrace are all set up, and I …

… I like to take a break, let the breeze blow through my hair, and enjoy the view.