Re: STC - member or not?

[Beth Agnew <bagnew -at- INSYSTEMS -dot- COM>]

Tom Johnson (johnsont -at- FREEWAY -dot- NET) wrote, among other things:
> The way I figure things, if I find one article per year that increases
> my productivity, or helps me avoid one pitfall, the dues have paid for
> themselves.

I agree with Tom. When I speak at conferences or meetings, I often ask
folks what they think an idea is worth. If you get one good idea out of
your meeting, or conference, or membership, then the cost of
attending/joining has been recouped, often many times over.

We never know what little thing will lead to the next BHI (Big Hairy Idea).
By small means, great things come to pass. Being part of any group has its
pitfalls, but if there are enough positives, you assess that you are ahead
by being a member. If you are feeling that your membership puts you on the
negative side of the ledger, get out and find something that works better
for you.

This thread has prompted me to re-evaluate why I'm an STC member. I've been
techwriting for many years, but was not a member of STC until the past
couple of years. I did belong to other professional writing groups, some
very useful, others not. There are things I don't like about the STC, but
there are many positives, and as long as I'm getting value for what it's
costing me, then I will continue to be a member.

I have a good friend who was a very active member of the STC for more than
10 years. She even started two chapters, and was very active in promoting
professional development activities. Recently, her work situation changed,
and she's no longer involved in technical writing. She has dropped out of
the STC completely.

If the group isn't meeting your needs, first see what you can do about
changing that. If change is not an option, then find a group that does give
you value for expenditure (whether time or money) and place your energy
there.

--Beth

Beth Agnew
Senior Technical Writer, InSystems Technologies Inc.
65 Allstate Parkway, Suite 100  Tel: (905) 513-1400 ext. 280
Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 9X1        Fax: (905) 513-1419
mailto:bagnew -at- insystems -dot- com    Visit us at: http://www.insystems.com

See my friendly face at:
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