Re: Considering the STC summit in May

[Charlotte Branth Claussen <charlotteclaussen -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Hi Mary,

I agree with Thorsten, it's very useful to get impressions from - and
exposure to - different groups.

If I were you, I would go to as many Meetups, events, conferences, and
courses as you have time for and can afford.
Also, you started by joining this list, which is very helpful in itself,
and there are plenty of relevant LinkedIn groups.

You're saying you're an English major, so you may also want to look into
related areas such as content strategy, UI copy writing/UX writing, etc.

Regarding internships, they're usually easy to find if you will accept
low-paid or unpaid internships. I started my career with a FrameMaker
course and an internship that I had to leave before the end of it because I
was offered a paid job in another company. And even if you can't get an
internship right away, you can still get experience and create a portfolio,
for example by contributing to open source projects.

Looking forward to following your career development!

/Charlotte

On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 at 17:44, Thorsten Konersmann
<tk -at- documentation -dot- engineering> wrote:

> Hi Mary,
>
> The answers so far suggest that there are several different
> conferences/meetups/groups of people in your area. As a student and young
> professional, I usually found it helpful to get impressions from different
> groups of people/places/related fields.
>
> Jobs in tech comm differ in terms of:
>
>    - industry (software, machinery, medical devices, finance, ...)
>    - mode of employment (indie freelancing, employee/owner of a
>    consulting/service company, or employee of a manufacturer)
>
>
>
> As far as within your budget and resources, go to different places, meet
> different people. Smaller gatherings are worthwhile, too.
>
> Youâll never know in advance which topic of interest or which acquaintance
> might bring you a step forward later on.
>
> Thorsten
>
> â
> http://www.documentation.engineering/
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jan 28, 2019 at 4:05 PM Kelly Smith <KellyMJSmith -at- gmail -dot- com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi, Mary.
> >
> > I've been to the last four STC Summits and I highly recommend it,
> > especially for a student!
> >
> > The Summit has greatly expanded my knowledge of technical communication
> and
> > I now have a very large group of colleagues and friends who I can tap
> for a
> > variety of reasons. There is a structured speed networking event, but
> I've
> > never attended that. Mostly, I've met people by sitting with strangers
> > every morning at breakfast, and at the after-conference events.
> >
> > Since joining STC in 2015, I've become membership manager for my local
> > chapter and newsletter editor for the Instructional Design and Learning
> > special interest group.
> >
> > As for what to expect, they have educational sessions on a huge variety
> of
> > topics that can help you figure out what path you want to pursue in tech
> > comm. Almost everyone I've encountered has been friendly and helpful.
> There
> > is a mix of academics and industry professionals, so you get to meet
> people
> > from all facets of tech comm. If you choose to join the STC, we have a
> > student chapter and many opportunities for volunteering that can help
> > increase your contacts and provide experience.
> >
> > If you'd like to chat off-list about it or get more information, please
> > email me! (KellyMJSmith -at- gmail -dot- com) I'd be happy to tell you more. And
> > maybe
> > I'll see you in Denver!
> >
> > Kelly Smith
> >
> > -----
> > Hello everyone!
> >
> > My name is Mary Campos and I am an English major at CSUN. I am
> considering
> > going to the Society for Technical Communication?s Summit in May. I just
> > have a few questions for anyone who has gone before as I am not sure what
> > to expect at this event. I would really like some insight on how to get
> > into the field, leads on where to intern, as well as networking
> > opportunities.
> >
> > Are there good networking opportunities there?
> > What has been your experience if you have attended a prior STC summit?
> > What should I expect?
> > I am hoping that it will be a great learning and networking experience so
> > that when I graduate next year I won?t be spinning my wheels for a while
> > trying to get a job.
> >
> > Even if you haven?t been to the STC summit any pointers or advice would
> be
> > appreciated! The sooner I start moving forward the better off I?ll be
> when
> > I graduate.
> >
> > Thanks in advance!
> >
> > Mary M. Campos
> > --
> > Kelly Smith
> >
> > <
> >
> https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=icon
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