Re: Professional organizations, courses, and tools

Subject: Re: Professional organizations, courses, and tools
From: "Bergen, Jane" <janeb -at- ANSWERSOFT -dot- COM>
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 15:06:45 -0600

On Thursday, January 15, 1998 2:15 PM, Jill Burgchardt
[SMTP:jburgcha -at- PESTILENCE -dot- ITC -dot- NRCS -dot- USDA -dot- GOV] wrote:
>(snipped)
> Bottom line: Most people cannot afford to invest in everything that
> might help their career development. So, what are the criteria you
> use to choose among professional organizations, courses, tools, etc.?
> How do you decide what will give you the best return on investment?
> Do you choose things that interest you personally over those that
> have a bigger return (in terms of career) or vice versa? How do you
> gather information to make your decisions?
>
> Jill Burgchardt
> jburgcha -at- pestilence -dot- itc -dot- nrcs -dot- usda -dot- gov

I've been watching the STC thread with great interest. I have been a
member for quite awhile and, like several of the posters, would like to
echo that the best way to change it is to get involved. Too often in
chapters you have just a small core of people who do all or most of the
work, while others just watch and whine when their needs are not met.
Our chapter (Lone Star in Dallas with over 800 members) is very active
and very beneficial. We offer scholarships, special interest groups, a
fantastic local newsletter, a regional conference, online and
publications competition, a job bank, and lots more. I am the manager of
the Mentoring Project which pairs new writers or students with seasoned
professionals for helping with job searches and career development. You
get out of an organization what you are willing to put in. Everyone
volunteering for these activities is working full-time...many have
families and other responsibilities....but they all feel that they have
something to give and so give freely.

To answer Jill's question, you have to see if the organization or course
or tool is relevant to your goals. If you want to be a software writer,
a trainer, a medical writer, or whatever....seek out the things that you
think will help you. But the important thing is to MOVE....don't sit
back and think that because you've got a job you like that there is no
need to grow and explore. No one is as good as it gets.... everyone has
room to improve their skills, their understanding, their network of
support. Technology (and we are "technical" right?) is changing so
rapidly that having 30 years of experience means nothing in the
marketplace if the person is still "stuck" at the level they were at ten
or twenty years ago. You have to constantly learn new tools and to be
ready to grasp new concepts. Use libraries, buy books, take courses,
join organizations, do whatever it takes to MOVE FORWARD. I've seen too
many people call themselves technical communicators who have no clue
what communication means in 1998.

That's my rant for today. Sorry it's long.

Jane Bergen
Jane Bergen, Technical Writer,
AnswerSoft, Inc. Richardson, TX
(972) 997-8355
janeb -at- answersoft -dot- com




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