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-Certification (check this link for this in a comparable field http://www.icrm.org/)
-Actual national-level training that means something (check this link for
this in a comparable field http://www.aiim.org/article_aiim.asp?ID=25856
-Serious Outreach to promote to companies why they should hire professional
technical writers
-Establish standards (check this link for this in a comparable field http://www.aiim.org/standards.asp?ID=24488)
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
Barnes&Noble.com
jposada -at- book -dot- com
NY: 212-414-6656
Dayton: 732-438-3372
Although she lives with seven other men, she's not easy.
------ Magic Mirror
-----Original Message-----
From: guy [mailto:guy -at- hiskeyboard -dot- com]
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2003 3:26 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Hostility towards STC
John Posada wrote:
> STC could have done so much more to further the professional
> technical writer, resulting in less unemployment, higher
> wages, and greater professional respect by those outside of
> the field, instead of just being a mediocre dues collection
> engine with little return to those who are the foundation of
> this field. It seems to me that if not being a member of the
> professional organization does nothing to hinder your
> advancement in the field, they are pretty much superfluous
> and impotent.
>
> I was a member. I was a chapter officer. I'm no worse off now
> that I'm not.
>
> Shoot...even garage mechanics have a better professional
> organization (ASE) behind them.
Remember the one about telling the minister, "Now, ya done
quit preaching and gone to meddlin!"? Well, we have the
reverse here.
John has turned us from carping to exploring.
What COULD STC have done (or still do) to "further the professional
technical writer"?
One suggestion has been to provide better conference presentations
about more technical stuff. Outside of STC, Jack Molisani has launched
LavaCon (http://www.lavacon.org):
"a conference that focuses on one area:
How to estimate, bid and manage tech comm projects and teams"
Should STC be doing more of this sort of stuff?
Silicon Valley Chapter of STC has hosted workshops on understanding
Java and XML and the like.
Is certification something STC should pursue?
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