Newsletter of the East Bay Chapter of STC
January/February 2004

President's Message: To Renew or Not to Renew?

by Susan Harlan
EBSTC President

As we look forward to the beginning of a new year, it’s a good time to think about what happened on both a personal and a professional level in 2003. Did you experience changes? If so, were they positive, such that they will contribute to your future happiness and success? If not, then what could you add to this equation—if it were as easy as a math problem—that would add another dimension or new possibilities?

Some of us found this past year challenging. Like other STC chapter members, EBSTC members were affected by globalization and employer requirements. Some members found new careers in the Bay Area or in other parts of the country. Others found contract jobs, many of them at a lower pay rate than in years past and for a shorter duration. And a few found no jobs, so the work area was quiet—and job searching was frustrating.

Membership in STC offers benefits to members of each group, from employed in our career of choice to those still looking. This means the Society must have a broad range of activities and resources.

STC Membership Benefits

STC offers a number of benefits to its members at the local and international levels. Maybe it’s time to review what the Society offers and try out something that fits your current situation.

Our 2003 Chapter Survey provided information about what’s important to you: meeting time, location, and program topics. We are working to make the changes that reflect members’ wishes, such as shortening the meeting time, finding a less costly meeting location (with lower-cost food), and providing programs of interest. Actually, the #1 meeting topic requested, Information Mapping, was last month’s excellent program, and we’ll have more preferred program topics throughout the year, such as information architecture, project management, and trends in technical communication.

Those programs, as well as information on professional trends, job leads, and networking, all provide current information on technical communication, which includes writing, editing, graphics design, teaching, and all the other job titles associated with STC. It’s important to note that you’ll find these offerings not only at the local and regional levels but also at the national and international levels. Whether you’re looking for employment opportunities or new designs in corporate user guides or intranet sites, this one group, with its one international web site—www.stc.org—and its 150 chapters around the world, links everyone together.

The opportunities provided by STC on a global level, as well as at the grass-roots level of chapter meetings and programs, make a dynamic and progressive combination. If you want to stay on top in this era of change, I recommend that you stay with us. Think about it.

Susan

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