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I can't speak to the certification, because that's a relatively new offering (although I was around STC for years while they were arguing about it), but I would disagree with Peter's first statement. Although I got my first job in editing and writing because of my English degrees, after that, STC was a fairly important factor in many of my succeeding jobs. I saw the comments on my resume after I was hired for my third job, which was really more of a technical-writing position than the others had been, and next to the STC membership was written "Yes!" so I'm sure there was some effect there. I got several later job interviews at least partly because people knew me from STC.
Kay
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+kay -dot- robart=tea -dot- texas -dot- gov -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+kay -dot- robart=tea -dot- texas -dot- gov -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Peter Neilson
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2016 8:38 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: STC Certification
STC seems to have no impact on how anybody gets hired. It's helpful to avoid going through any HR department, because they don't know writing, don't know technology, and mostly try to match buzzwords. Maybe STC certification helps you get hired to teach Technical Communication and write expensive textbooks.
Last time I looked for a position I was inappropriate for the job because I have too much experience for the low pay they offered, but also lack the five or more years in their niche industry that they required.
I got my current position because I ran a monstrous spark-gap tesla coil at a museum in one of my first jobs out of college, and because I once helped a Chinese physicist rewrite an academic paper on lightning.
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