The STC and me?

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Bob wonders: <<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?>>

Membership in a professional organization is never essential; you can 
learn the tools of the trade by taking courses, browsing textbooks at 
the library, or just doing the work and paying attention to what works 
and what doesn't. You can meet people who work in your field by calling 
around local tech companies and asking to speak to the writers; I've 
been amazed at how many kindred spirits I've met over the years through 
STC, and equally amazed at how pleasant it is to share war stories and 
help each other brainstorm solutions to problems.

What STC offers me is a formal means of keeping up on what's happening 
in my field by reading articles from world authorities on a range of 
subjects--like techwr-l in many ways, but in print (newsletters) and in 
person (conferences). It also gives me an incentive to get off my butt, 
leave the house occasionally, and talk to colleagues with shared 
interests. Every so often, it's nice to escape the demands of "friends 
and family". <g>

Whether your employer has ever heard of STC is less important than 
whether the organization provides any value to you. In my experience, 
membership in any organization only pays back the investment in time 
(and money) if you put out an effort. Passivity undermines the value. I 
get enormous benefits from the discussions that my articles in STC 
publications have started with people I've never met--several of whom 
have subsequently referred me enough business that I could afford to 
jump right into a freelancing career without worrying whether I could 
support my family. I've also made several lifelong friends who I'd 
never otherwise have met.

<<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.>>

Sometimes an employer uses membership in a professional society as one 
of those blind screening criteria. The membership shows in concrete 
form that you're interested in professional development rather than 
growing complacent in your current state of expertise. (Note that I'm 
not saying there are no complacent STC members. It's another of those 
checklist items some employers look for as a substitute for thinking.)

But _active_ membership shows something important: it shows that you're 
at least trying to look outside your own cage and learn about your 
profession. It shows that you're open to new ideas, willing to invest 
some time keeping your skills up to date, and that you have a network 
of people you can turn to when you need help. (I've used that network 
many times over the years.)

You can get this kind of experience from membership in any active 
community: techwr-l, for instance, and you don't have to pay any dues. 
But how many techwhirlers have you met in person? This Internet thing 
is kinda cool <g>, but what makes it work for me is the people, and 
it's nice to actually meet the people now and then. STC fills that need 
for me.

<<I am guessing that there are members who join just so they can say 
that they are members. Perhaps there are people who hire STC members 
just because they are members, and they have no knowledge of what the 
group is all about.>>

I'm sure that's true, and sure that some people who know nothing about 
STC assume that membership implies certification of a certain minimum 
skill level. It doesn't. STC provides a formal mechanism for meeting 
colleagues and learning new things about how to communicate, but like 
the water trough, it can't force the horse to drink. If you're 
sufficiently self-motivated to learn things on your own, and are 
already well networked in the profession, you probably don't need STC.

<<Perhaps some people assume that STC membership means a certain skill 
level.>>

In my case, I learn a bunch of new things quite regularly from STC 
publications and from STC members, many of which I have shared here on 
techwr-l as the years (10+ by now; eek!) have passed. I leave it to 
posterity to judge whether that sharing has had any value, but I 
certainly believe my investment in dues has been amply repaid in 
knowledge, friends, and many other ways.

<<Someone tell me why I should join a group that is apparently not 
going to help me all that much.>>

STC will help you in direct proportion to the amount of effort you 
invest in it. Kinda like techwr-l, no?

--Geoff Hart   ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)


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