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Subject:Re: The STC and me From:Lee Hunter <lee -dot- hunter -at- hum -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 27 Jul 2004 18:49:50 -0400
written_by -at- juno -dot- com wrote:
> Why should I worry about the STC when I have yet to find anyone who knows
> what the STC is or really cares if I am a member or not? I have never
> lost an opportunity because I was not an STC member. Not being a member
> has had zero impact on my career, and quite frankly, I see no benefit to
> joining. I am not so sure that the cost to join will provide many
> advantages. If I joined the STC, does adding the STC logo to y letterhead
> or mentioning that I am a member of this organization help me?
The three main reasons to belong to the STC:
1) Networking -- around here it's the only place to meet people in the
field and it's an opportunity to get to know people that you might have
an opportunity to work with in the future.
2) Professional Development -- There a couple of magazines that come
with the membership and there are various conferences and workshops at
the local and international level. Special interest groups within the
STC operate mailing lists on a variety of subjects.
3) Status -- Probably not much value to you unless you're looking for
work. One person responsible for hiring TC contractors told me recently
that she didn't just filter resumes on STC membership, she only looked
for people who had done volunteer work for the organization. That's
unusual (and I'm not sure it makes a whole lot of sense) but I know that
there are at least some people out there who are aware of the organization.
None of these reasons may be important to you in particular. You might
not need or want the networking, you might have other means of
professional development and the status doesn't mean that much outside
of a relatively small circle.
For myself, as an independent contractor, it's just part of my marketing
budget and worth the investment.
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