Re: STC Conference: Worth It?

[Steve Fouts <stefou -at- ESKIMO -dot- COM>]

 Marie C. Paretti <mparetti -at- RRINC -dot- COM> wrote:

>My question to y'all is, is the STC conference worth it?  What have your
>experiences been there?  What are the benefits (and drawbacks) of this
>conference?

Been to several and my answer is a resounding yes (worth it). Quite simply
the best way to spend your training dollar. You get a week of intensive
training on a variety of topics by some of the industry's best and
brightest for a fraction of what such training would cost if you bought
it piecemeal.

Drawbacks are that some of the presenters are there to add resume fodder
or bullet items on their consulting brochure and it shows in their
presentations. However, most of the people that are presenting are there
because they really feel like they have something to share with their
peers.

Even if 50% of the sessions that you go to turn out to be less than you
expected from the title or synopsis, by the end of the conference you
will find that you will be tempted to skip a session or two, find a
quiet place to sit and try to digest some of the information overload.

>Background: I am currently the sole tech writer (and trainer) for a small
>software company

And I didn't even mention the advantages of the networking. Being able to
sit at a table at lunch and discuss something that's been bugging you with
a hand full of peers is great as well.

I have never been to one yet and said, "I could have better spent this week
doing _________."


    _______________   _____
   /  ___  __/__\  \ /  / _\    Steve Fouts stefou -at- eskimo -dot- com
  /___ \|  |  ___\  |  /  __\   "You must not mind me, madam;
 /   /  \  |      \   /      \   I say strange things, but I
/_______/__|_______\_/________\  mean no harm." --Samuel Johnson