Why You Should Join the STC

Two weeks ago, my boss and I set a goal for our Kiva Systems documentation: be good enough to enter in the STC's annual competition. So I went out and joined the STC - that's Society for Technical Communication, an association of technical writers, instructional writers, web designers, and information designers. As it happens, membership is not required to enter your documentation in the competition, but I'd been meaning to join for ages.

Today, I received my very first newsletter from the STC, and it read, "Member Update on STC Financial Crisis." It seems that the STC is in deep, deep financial trouble, like everyone else in these troubled times. Members are not renewing their memberships, new members are not joining, and far fewer people are attending STC conferences and events, with the effect that the STC now has a more than $1 million deficit.

This boggles my mind. Right now, more than any other time, is the perfect time to make full use of the membership benefits of the STC. Here's a short list of why you should join the STC, especially if you're out of work:

1. Job Listings: the STC maintains a Job Bank of employment opportunities for technical communicators. If you belong to a specific STC chapter, as I belong to the Boston chapter (one of the founding chapters of the society), you'll even get access to job listings for your local area.
2. Networking: the STC hosts a lot of networking events where you can meet other writers, trainers, web designers, etc. Networking is the most common way to find a new position.
3. Job Seeking Advice: The front page article for the July/August 2009 Boston Broadside was "Be Interesting or Be Invisible: Seven Ideas for Marketing Yourself." The STC has weathered recessions before, and it has a wealth of information on how to find your next job. Check out the Job Seeker Boot Camp on the main STC web site.
   
4. Improving Your Marketable Skills: Take advantage of your unemployment to hone your communications skills. The STC hosts lots of events on topics ranging from usability to structured authoring to writing tools. The Boston chapter's seminar this month is on "Accessibility and Usability." And there's a good selection of online courses available as well.

If you're a technical writer, now's the time when you need the support of the STC the most. Go join already! Membership costs as little as $90, $50 if you are a student.