I considered everyone else in my field the competition early in my career. I had to fight them for jobs; they were the enemy. I didn’t really get the value of professional memberships or conferences. I didn’t join STC, the Society for Technical Communication, until I was laid off from my first job, after 12 … Continue reading From competitors to colleagues: STC as community →
Source: From competitors to colleagues: STC as community – Ed Marsh
I was thinking of writing a similar post about my general experience and thoughts about attending the 2017 STC Summit, but my good buddy Ed pretty much did it for me, so I defer to his words and sentiments in his post. If he feels isolated in his big company and small team, imagine me who is usually a lone writer/consultant, and far from others in my immediate area who do the same! Joining has made a big difference to me, and I echo Ed’s sentiment that it really is a community more than anything else. Once you are able to attend–either in person or virtually–to an STC event, you start to become to other people who “get it”. STC members are generally very warm, friendly, smart people with a wicked sense of humor. Hanging around them recharges you. You get support. You get validated. You get advice. I joined up about 6.5 years ago, but didn’t really become active until 5 years ago, and I’ve been building up my contributions ever since, and continue to do so. Becoming more active is starting to seriously pay off with my connections in my mind, both professionally and personally. Many have become friends as well as colleagues.
Read Ed’s article. If you went to the Summit, include your comments and feedback below. Or, even if you didn’t go to the Summit, include your comments below.
–TechCommGeekMom
TechCommGeekMom 