STC membership: More important than ever

by Rahel Anne Bailie, Region 7 Director-Sponsor

It's STC membership renewal season. For those of us who have benefited from STC membership for a number of years, renewing is as automatic as renewing our car or health insurance plan. But for those of us who are new to STC, or who may be unemployed or under-employed, renewing our STC memberships may not be our focus.

It's interesting, then, that this is a time when keeping our STC membership current should be in our line of sight. All well and good for a Director-Sponsor, you might think, but my career hasn't been immune from the recent economic downturn-my position for a company in the telecommunications industry was eliminated in early 2002-and my membership in STC has been the single biggest factor in the development of my career.

I think of STC as a kind of "career insurance" or, more appropriately, career assurance. I've sought to distinguish myself from the technical communication wannabes (who talk a great line but don't walk the talk). Here are my reasons for renewing my membership in the world's largest association for technical communication professionals:

• Membership provides me with opportunity to develop expertise in my community of practice.
• Membership provides me with opportunities to discover related communities of practice, areas where I may want my career to go.
• Membership demonstrates to employers and potential employers that I am committed to my career path, not simply going from job to job.
• Membership tells my peers that I take pride in my profession and my professional development.
• Membership provides me with an opportunity to make an informed choice about how to develop my career path, and where to invest my career development dollars.
• Membership gives me a community of peers whose opinions I can solicit, or experience I can draw on.
• Membership gives me a community of peers from which I can choose a mentor.
• Membership qualifies me for discounts to chapter meetings, conferences, and other professional development opportunities.
• Membership gives me access to a wealth of resources such as STC Journal, Intercom, and chapter information.
• Membership delivers regular information from industry experts, many of whom are known worldwide for their expertise.
• Membership gives me the privilege of joining one or more Special Interest Groups, giving me information specific to a topic area.
• Membership gives me access to employment opportunities, both on the local and international employment banks.

All this for about the price of a movie a month. My career is worth a lot more than that — isn't yours?