Re: STC Annual Conference

[Gurudutt Kamath/Technical Writing Centre <guruk -at- GIASBM01 -dot- VSNL -dot- NET -dot- IN>]

Hello Garret,

I am a crazy technical writer from India.  In 1995 I attended a conference
in London as I thought I should import technical writing skills to India.
I wish to attempt the same this time too.  Any tips and ideas would be
welcome.

How did you manage to get the conference part in your negotiations with
the companies?  I am sure lot of people would be interested in knowing how
to ensure that companies send you for such an important conference.

Best wishes and thanks in advance.

Guru


guruk -at- giasbm01 -dot- vsnl -dot- net -dot- in
http://members.tripod.com/~Kamath
Technical Writing Centre, Mumbai (Bombay)
"The difficult we do immediately.  The impossible takes a little longer
time." ...and a technical writer.

On Thu, 6 Mar 1997 Garret -dot- Romaine -at- RADISYS -dot- COM wrote:

> Garret Romaine -at- RADISYS_CORPORATION
> 03/06/97 02:58 PM
>
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> >I need <SNIP>
> >a list of reasons why I should go...<SNIP>
>
> Well, it's a sales job, that's for sure. But rather than lament that you
> have to justify it, you're on the right track if you see this as
> a great opportunity to sell your talents to your manager.
> If they intend to keep you around, they need to push your
> envelope and make it fun. They need your enthusiasm for what you're doing.
> Your company also needs to invest in your future by training you,
> by exposing you to what's hot in the industry, and by encouraging you
> to make national and international contacts in your profession.
>
> After a trip to a national conference like this, you'll probably
> get excited about participating more in your local chapter. Maybe you can
> see yourself up there presenting ideas to others. Or see yourself becoming
> an
> expert in something, growing as the profession grows. If you can picture
> yourself as a mentor some day, as someone with advice for those starting
> out,
> you're halfway home.
>
> It all boils down to what kind of professional you want to become vs. what
> kind of employee they want you to be. This is a chance to show that you are
> proactive with your own life, and getting your head out of the foxhole once
> in awhile to look across the battlefield. Maybe they want employees who
> keep
> their head down all the time. This is a good chance for you to verify what
> the company's commitment to you is, judging from the responses you get.
>
> You'll be sharpening your own political skills as well. How you package the
> intangibles is up to you; you can stress just the training and skip the
> networking, or you can present a list of all the buzzwords you'll be
> exposed
> to. But they go hand in hand, and it's a good chance for a heart-to-heart
> with your manager.
>
> I've worked hard to make sure an annual trip to the STC conference is a
> "given" in my compensation package. It took three companies before I found
> the right one.
>
> Garret -dot- Romaine -at- RadiSys -dot- Com
>
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