Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter
December 2008/January 2009
| Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter December 2008/January 2009 |
The Government Accounting Office made the official announcement. We are in a recession. What does this word mean for us individually and as a profession? We have seen many of our jobs sent overseas, we have been downsized, and we have seen documentation quality compromised as a result of corporate cost-cutting initiatives.
What can we do about this state of affairs? How can we function as technical writers, keep our jobs, and draw good salaries? How can we remain calm when so much downsizing continues? My first thought on this is the obvious: stay involved with the STC, with your local STC chapter, and with your SIGs. We all need to continually learn new skills and tools to do our jobs better, faster, and with a higher level of quality. We need to maintain a competitive edge.
How can STC help us with this? The answer is easy. Become acquainted with all of the resources provided by the STC. Go to the www.stc.org Web site. Browse the pages to find educational opportunities, read the articles to find the latest documentation trends, and check the schedules for both STC conferences and for Web-based seminars. Use your local chapter meetings as a place to network and to find out what other technical communicators are doing at their places of employment. Finally, use the STC jobs listings to stay current on what skills and knowledge employers currently seek.
Invest in yourselves with continuing education and by attending STC conferences and workshops. These educational costs are considered "good debt." You are investing in your long-term professional and financial future when you invest in your continuing education. Try learning a new technical writing "niche" role such as API writing, Web-based training, proposal writing, or copyediting. You will become more valuable to your current employer while being able to offer state-of-the-art skills to potential future employers.
The new year is coming soon. I look forward to seeing you at our monthly chapter meetings in 2009. Let's make our chapter a successful platform from which to learn from the presenters and from each other. I wish each of you continued success in 2009.
Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year!
Sincerely,
Gilbert Gonzalez