June/Ju;y 2006

Volume 46, Number 6

Summer's Call

by Marella Colyvas

Summer is upon us. It beckons, sultry, inviting. Activities abound: family reunions, picnics, swimming, hikes, classes; summer reading lists.

However, you may, like many adults, be plodding through your summer steeped in the everyday world. The heat is oppressive; at your out-of-school children's behest, you are pressed to engage in softball, theater, dance, debate camps, baseball, 10K races. The in-laws decide that Colorado is the place to visit, so you cram mountain viewing, mall shopping, and concerts-in-the park into your already too busy schedule. And, there is the ever-present work deadline, now requiring 14-hour days because three of your colleagues are on vacation.

You are convinced the universe is plotting your undoing.

Breathe. Summer is the height of activity, true. But it is also the time to revel, to bask in the sunlight, to be open to the light and the summer storms, and to laugh. It is the time of fruition, where the promise of spring's ideas flower. It is the time, as the old adage goes, to "make hay while the sun shines" because after the equinox, the earth is already starting on its path toward winter and darkness.

I invite you to take time from your myriad activities to return to a school mindset, when summer reading lists were required and personal/professional growth was encouraged. Those professors of our schooldays were not heaping useless activities on us - rather, the idea was to instill a love of learning and growth. But how can we best use our time to actually learn and grow?

Here are some suggestions:

• Revive and revise that summer reading list.
• Take a class, online or otherwise.
• Look for inexpensive workshops provided by your local STC community
  

But, you protest, there's no time . . .

Well, time is what you make it. Don't forget that a lot of information has already been gathered and you can improve your knowledge and your love of learning by using existing resources. Here are each of the suggestions listed above with ideas on how to actually implement them.

The Reading List

When revising your reading list, don't expect to read everything new published about say, XML. Use available resources, such as the STC RMC, to help in your search. The regular book review column in our award-winning newsletter, Technicalities, is one such resource. This year Sam Omatseye, Evan Lockwood, Deb Lockwood, and Ron Arner have written reviews about four very different books:

• Sam reviews a study that covers the potentially dangerous downturn in the U.S. educational system and the subsequent U.S. drop in the rank of countries that excel in science and technology; the book is Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future: http://www.stcrmc.org/technicalities/feb_march_2006/feature4.htm.
• Evan's reviewed book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, covers what makes for real change in organizations, and why it seems some things never change -http://www.stcrmc.org/technicalities/dec_jan_2006/feature3.htm.
• Deb writes about a new book, Herding Chickens: Innovative Techniques for Project Management, that likens the concepts of project management to "herding chickens." If the title doesn't make you curious, the table of contents will. The review is here: http://www.stcrmc.org/technicalities/oct_nov_2005/feature2.htm.
• Ron's book, Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, covers web usability and dovetails nicely with the topic our last speaker of the year, Ginny Redish, presented in May on "Lessons Learned from Usability Testing Web Sites." Check out Ron's review to help you decide if you want to read this book: http://www.stcrmc.org/technicalities/aug_sept_2005/feature5.htm

Tip: If you revise your reading list to include some technical books on subjects that you will actually use at work, reading them could be done during work time if you talk to your manager about including the books in a training program. Don't forget to actually marking training time on your daily calendar so it gets done.

Classes

Of course local colleges and universities offer classes, as do many community-based programs, such as the Colorado Free University. And most, if not all, colleges and universities offer online classes. It is not within the scope of this article to argue which is better, attending online or on-campus classes, but the focus here is for online classes because they afford much more flexibility.

One little-known benefit of being an STC member is that the University of California at Los Angeles offers a discount on technical writing and business class tuition to STC members. This particular university hosts a large variety of online classes. See http://uclaextension.edu - go to the Management Program, Communication Skills, Technical Communication for a list of online courses that are eligible for the discount. For complete information, call or write to the University at the numbers and email addresses listed.

Note: If anyone knows of other colleges and universities that offer discounts to STC members for technical communication classes, please let our newsletter editors know so the information can be publicized.

One good thing about online classes is that they are available 24x7, and if you get the writing bug in the middle of the night, you can put it to use. Another good thing is that you can take a variety of subjects that may not lead to a degree, but can enrich your life and enhance your skills without taking a lot of time away from your day-to-day activities. It is still wise, however, to determine just how much time you will need for the class, and budget accordingly. Online classes also force you to spend some time alone. For instance, you can send the in-laws to the pool with the kids while you finish that last writing assignment. And take that laptop outside - it's summer!

Inexpensive Workshops and Seminars

Your STC RMC just offered a workshop on Beginning FrameMaker on June 3rd. We plan to do at least one more of these workshops after our summer break, perhaps two. They are excellent venues for a) giving our members a great educational value, b) allowing our local (or sometimes imported) STC talent to shine, and c) building a strong technical communication community. Although there are no plans to have another summer seminar this year, we thought this one was a good way to kick off the summer. Feedback from participants confirm that our idea was prudent. So if you have let your STC membership lapse for whatever reason, think of the educational opportunities at a great value that abound in this community, and act accordingly.

In Conclusion

After reviewing these options, try this: replace some of your frenzied summer activities with 10 minutes a day devoted to opening your heart and mind to all the possibilities that summer brings. Turn back the clock to school days, and once again create a summer reading list or look for a class or inexpensive seminar to attend. Oh, and spend some time outdoors. It never hurts to sit by the pool (or a mountain lake) with that good book.