Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter
October/November 2007
| Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter October/November 2007 |
Hey you! You -- the person I've never seen at a meeting of the San Francisco Chapter STC! What's your excuse for not coming to a meeting? Do you think that you're too busy? Or that it's too hard to get to a meeting on a Wednesday evening in the financial district? Or that the topic has nothing to do with anything that you do, need to know, want to know, or even care about? Or that attending an STC meeting is only for those people who are looking for a job lead?
Do you know that other people in your chapter miss you and would like to get to know you better so that STC can be a meaningful part of your life? Yes, it's YOUR chapter.
Full disclosure: When I became a tech writer, I joined my local chapter, attended most meetings, volunteered -- and found those job leads. Because I networked, demonstrating my skills within my chapter, other chapter members passed leads to me, recommended my work, and cheered me on each time I landed a contract. Then a family move brought me to the Bay Area. I tried getting involved in STC, but one large chapter acted as if they didn't want me to participate, and the San Francisco chapter meetings proved difficult to get to. I found a job fairly easily, then suddenly was too busy to get to a meeting that was too hard to get to on a topic that didn't relate to me or my job.
In 2001, my nice job went poof and I wound up in a job that that wasn't fun and didn't offer any career growth, so I started occasionally attending my chapter meetings again, hoping for a great job lead. Not much happened, so finally, about two years ago, I made a point of attending chapter meetings as often as I could. I got to know the chapter faithful, those people who volunteered to do the bits and pieces that keep the chapter running and meetings happening. In short, I networked regularly instead of occasionally. I found job leads. One eventually turned into a nice temporary opportunity with the possibility of long-term or even regular employment. When I attended the next meeting, another member greeted with a job lead. When I announced that I had gig, the group responded with a round of applause.
That's real networking!
So now that I have a job, should I quit going to meetings again? Is it time to ignore the STC again? I don't think so. It takes time and effort to build an effective network; it takes as much effort to maintain it, and maintenance is vital so that it's there when you need it again.
By the way, if you've ever tried to drive in downtown San Francisco during rush hour, you know it's a nightmare, at best, and can be a disincentive. My solution may work for you: I park out a ways and ride BART to the meeting; directions from BART are on the chapter Web site.
I'm looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming meeting!