The May meeting welcomed an assortment of contractors, employees, and students, including a writer from two time zones away.
After brief introductions came a reminder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day , which focuses on digital access for a billion people with disabilities. Technical writers can help by fixing low-contrast text, cluttered design, navigation that requires (or prevents) the use of the keyboard or mouse, and other obstacles.
One of the contractors works in API documentation and is always busy; recruiters contact him almost daily and he has to turn them down. Some people are hesitant about working with recruiters if they don’t feel fully qualified, but most agreed that some unsuccessful interviews lead to other contacts or even employment. Everything is practice — take the interview.
We also discussed the writer as QA (quality assurance) in software development. As the first users of a product, we often find bugs and design flaws that help the developers improve the product before it’s released. We’re used to pushing limits, trying to “break” things to see what happens, persisting until we find a solution, and inventing workarounds. These skills can transfer to real life outside the workplace; the attitude that we always have options and that we can find ways to adjust to apparent disaster makes it easier to cope with setbacks.
Speaking of which: after 14 months of COVID-19 restrictions, some of us miss the informal social interactions in a workplace, the casual serendipity of hearing about new product developments in the coffee room, and the free doughnuts. However, some remote workers relish the freedom to do intense brain work for three hours, take a few hours off, and come back to the task refreshed in the evening. Some employers are reluctant to trust staff they can’t see working, but remote work can be more productive than working in an office.
Student Kristie Nichol is looking forward to volunteering at the STC Summit conference in June. STC has offered free registration to student volunteers, and she’s scheduled to monitor six sessions to help things run smoothly. It’s a great opportunity to learn and to meet others in our field.
Our chapter President, Joel Basart, has often attended the Summit and always comes back with some great ideas that he can use at work. Joel and Kristie will present a free webinar on June 16 to recap the sessions they attended.
The Tech Comm Café provides networking opportunities, job leads, answers to work-related dilemmas, and a burst of professional energy to keep you motivated. We discuss technical writing tools and techniques, career planning, portfolios, and anything else related to working as a technical communicator.
We welcome anyone who’s interested in technical communication — contractor, in-house, student, long-time tech writer, STC member, non-member, career-changer, or recruiter. We hope to see you at the next meeting!
Next Meeting: ONLINE on Wednesday, June 23, 2021
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• If you plan to attend, please RSVP by 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, to receive login instructions.
Date: Wednesday, June 23
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Location: Online via Zoom
Agenda
1. Introductions. Take 60 seconds to introduce yourself, your background, current activities. A good chance to try out that new elevator speech.
2. Announcements and job leads. If you know of an interesting event or a job opening, or you’re looking for work, share it with the group.
3. Brainstorming Q&A. Ask about a work-related problem and discuss potential solutions.
4. Speed networking. Make new contacts and discuss your professional backgrounds and goals.
Heather Sommerville is a senior technical writer and editor with over 20 years of experience delivering clear, concise writing for business and technical audiences. She is an STC Associate Fellow and has served in many volunteer positions with the STC Canada West Coast chapter.