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February/March 2007 |
Volume 47, Number 4 |
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President's Corner
After much research and experimentation, let me share the three most effective and fiscally responsible methods I’ve discovered for staying ahead of the technology game. 1. Attend Conference Sessions. From May 13th through the 16th, 2007, the STC will be holding its 54th annual conference. The conference theme this year is Technical Communication Summit: Ascend the Summit. The conference location is Minneapolis, MN. I have to tell you that I have found no more effective method for exposure to a wide selection of topics in a concentrated time frame. I’ve attended the STC conference for a few years now (yes, at my own cost) and can attest to the quality of sessions and caliber of presenters. The training I’ve received at the conferences has included technology training, publication methods, best practices, and management techniques. You can also talk to vendors who represent products that support our industry, ask questions, and see their products in action. The preliminary program was published in the February 2007 issue of Intercom and is also available on the conference Web site (http://www.stc.org/54thConf/sessions/index.asp). I encourage you to take a look. This year’s conference has tracks instead of stems. A list of these tracks follows:
Also available are the following roundtable Progressions sessions*:
*Session titles may change between now and the conference. See the online conference program for the latest line-up. Early-bird registration (read: lowest price) ends March 9, 2007. Details about costs and registration information are available at http://www.stc.org/54thConf/register/index.asp. 2. Take College Courses. Many community colleges, colleges, and universities in our area serve professionals by offering relevant courses using alternate methods of course delivery including online, evening, and weekend courses. In my role as STC RMC president I cannot endorse any particular school or course, but I can highly encourage you to talk to your fellow chapter members, either at a meeting or through our online discussion list, and ask for people’s opinions on where to go and what to take. Our chapter boasts many members who are active in their academic communities as instructors and teachers, and who would be happy to talk to you about your interests. I have taken several online classes to learn software applications and found them to be a great help in the following ways:
I gained all of these things and paid a minimal cost. Some of you may even be able to enroll in an accredited course and have your employer reimburse you for the class. In that case, what’s there to lose? 3. Get Involved With Your STC Chapter. A business associate of mine who lives in a different state would love to have the opportunities that we have in the Rocky Mountain Chapter! Her chapter has been effectively dormant for a few years and she has been unable to reactivate interest in the group. We sometimes take the opportunities that are available in our chapter for granted, but I encourage you to not do so. This active community can encourage you to learn new and challenging skills, to hone the skills that you already have, and to teach others what you know. The current chapter leadership has lots of ideas for programs that could help our membership and the only thing (besides money) that is holding us back is a lack of human resources. You’d be surprised what you can learn by getting involved. And you’ll also establish rewarding relationships with your fellow technical communicators. In summary, I have made three cost-effective suggestions for keeping yourself current with regard to professional technology:
Now that you are armed with information, the next step is yours.  |
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© Copyright 2007 |
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Do you like a bargain? Even though I work in the software industry and I have a steady job, I’m normally pretty frugal. Professionally, I struggle to stay current with changing technology and new ideas in the technical communication field—and staying current can be costly. So…how do I make those things co-exist?