Yesterday was a gray, blustery Saturday, where it would’ve been easier to stay in bed, drink some hot tea, and curl up with a good book. Instead, I was actually happy to go out in the horrible weather, because I was meeting up with a fellow STC member who lives about an hour’s drive away from me here in New Jersey. Over the years, we’ve become good friends, and we always have a good time together when we do get together. I ventured out to meet up with her for lunch, and we talked for almost 4 hours (and could’ve talked longer).
Why should you care about that? Well, one of the things that the STC friend and I talked about was that STC has a unique culture that if you choose to get involved and embed yourself into the Society, you not only reap the benefits of learning professional skills, and networking with others, but there’s a real sense of support in STC. My friend mentioned that she’s been involved in other professional communities, and very often, it’s more about one-upmanship amongst the members, volunteers, and leaders. While you can make connections, it’s every person for themselves. My friend commented that one of the reasons she’s been in the STC for so long (and she and I started with STC within a year or two of each other, coincidentally), was that the sentiment of “every person for themselves” really wasn’t present in this community. The general vibe truly was one of consistent support for each other and for the Society.
I have to agree with her! Since I truly started getting more and more involved with the Society, I’ve had nothing but support as I’ve ventured along. The members are genuinely friendly overall, and the passion they have for technical communication is palpable. Almost everyone I’ve met is a tech comm geek. Conversations are passionate about content strategy, proper grammar, UX writing, technical writing, and nowadays, conversations about AI. When I entered this profession, I figured it was going to be people who were rather dry because of the type of work we do. I’ve found that the opposite is true, and my friend commented the same. We noted that technical writers are not boring or strictly the grammar police (okay, we ARE the grammar police), but rather we are a lively group with creative tendencies. When you look at the outside hobbies of most of the people we know, there are artists of all mediums (we do have the Tech Comm Knitting Cabal, after all), musicians, actors, food and libation connoisseurs, people who participate in historical societies, and other fascinating hobbies. Don’t let the concept of most technical writers being introverts fool you! (I mean, many are, but not around other technical communicators.) All those interests aside, these are generally not mean-spirited people.
Why is this important? Speaking only for myself, I can say that in all these years that I’ve been involved with STC, I’ve been allowed to take calculated risks and test the waters when I want to try out my project management and leadership skills. As a contractor, one never really gets the opportunity to show or grow in those skills because you aren’t somewhere for very long or you’re in a position–or rather not in a position–to be able to learn how to take the reins of a project because you are a temporary worker. As an STC volunteer, I’ve had so many opportunities to gain experience as a community leader when it couldn’t happen professionally due to my being a contractor. At the same time, one of the things I’ve learned at STC is that a) you can’t exactly terminate a volunteer (it’s very difficult), but b) it’s also a safe place to make mistakes for the same reason. You can try again, and you have the support of your fellow community members who want you to succeed.
My friend noted the same thing for herself. She’s held various community positions, and at one point, we ever worked together on a committee. While we have our home state/location in common, we come from very different backgrounds and experiences, and we both were able to see how we could bring our collective strengths to the table. I think she was the first chairperson I met of any kind who clearly understood and always tried to put forth that she understood that our volunteering wasn’t our job, and that we did have lives outside of STC and she respected that. That was a great example for me to follow, especially since I always wanted people to understand that I was giving all I could within my bandwidth. That said, she and I also agreed that you get out of STC what you put in, and that as a volunteer, if you make the commitment to do something, you really need to do you best to stick with it and not sign up for something just to have your name on the committee roster.
The one thing that we also noted–which isn’t always possible–is that member try to make the trip to the STC Summit if they can–at least once. We’re a global organization, so it’s nice to be able to put actual humans with names and photos and videos of people we’ve met online over time. You also meet a lot of new people in the process, too. This not only builds up your professional network, but so many of the people I’ve met have become my friends.
Due to the nature of my job and my responsibilities at home, I really don’t get out much, despite what people things of me as an extrovert. But I was thinking of all the people who I’m hoping to get together with this year outside of Summit, and they are all STC people. These are all people who have my back, and I have theirs. And that’s saying something on my part, because I don’t throw my support to people lightly. You have to earn that right and trust from me. These are people that I’ve learned to respect and learn from, as well as have a good giggle with sometimes. Even yesterday with this friend, we talked about STC things, technical communication things, and things simply going on with our lives, like trivia contests and travel.
STC, through all the ups and downs that have gone on in recent years, is my “home”. It’s been there to support what I do, and connected me with others who are as passionate about tech comm as I am. I don’t feel alone. I feel empowered. When I didn’t have a job, my STC community was there for me to help me move forward. My friend and I talked about “company culture” and how many companies will talk the talk but don’t always walk the walk–that it’s more lip service or propaganda than actual “family”. I mean, it’s your employer, not your actual family. STC feels different in that it IS family in a sense. It’s a positive “company culture” that is real, and as a Board Director now, I work with others who are as passionate as I am to keep that culture and community going as the world and the world of tech comm transforms. It’s a constant.
So, have I been assimilated? Yes. Resistance is futile for me.
Have you experienced either the good–or not so good with an association that you are affiliated with? Include your comments below.
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