April’s Tech Comm Café welcomed a mix of new faces and café veterans, raised many interesting conversation topics, and sparked a brainstorming session that might lead to new STC workshops. What an enjoyable, informative, and productive meeting!
Our initial introductions were typically Canadian: we found a common thread of Prairie ancestry and traded stories about winter and childhood memories of towering snowdrifts. We quickly dusted off the snowflakes, however, and moved on to technical writing subjects.
We touched on the benefits of video instruction versus written manuals, and on the possibilities of using virtual reality as a training tool. We also weighed the merits of working from home versus going to an office, along with the benefits of not working at all. We liked the benefits of not working at all.
Unfortunately, the drawbacks of not working — namely not getting paid — are quite significant, and this led to a conversation on the challenges of job hunting. We discussed the barriers that age and gender present in getting tech writing jobs, with specific attention paid to age. The experience at the table was that tech companies prefer to hire younger people.
Another frustrating job-hunting bias is the value that some prospective employers place on the knowledge of specific tools: they prefer experience with particular software over years of actual work experience as a tech writer. When tools are the easiest part of a job to learn — the strategy of downloading trial versions of software to pick up the basics was mentioned — this tool bias seems short-sighted.
Talk of tools sparked a student member at the café to raise the issue of the shortage of instruction in specific tools at her current school, along with the lack of instruction in creating a good writing portfolio. Wonderfully, our Tech Comm Café turned these frustrations into a brainstorming session about potential STC workshops!
We discussed a few possible topics, including:
- Introduction to Madcap Flare
- Creating a strong tech writing portfolio
- Using Camtasia (repeating or expanding a previous workshop)
We are currently following up on these workshop ideas. If you have any ideas or experience to offer, please let us know!
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 Meetings
- Vancouver-area Tech Comm Café: May 15. Details below.
- Victoria Tech Comm Café: Date and location TBD.
- Subscribe to receive email announcements of future meetings.
Next Vancouver-area Tech Comm Café: Wednesday, May 15
If you plan to attend, please RSVP by 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 14.
Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Time: 6:30–8:00 pm Pacific Time
Location: Green Basil Thai Restaurant, 4623 Kingsway (near Metrotown), Burnaby, BC. Check their website for menu and pricing.
Green Basil is across the street from the northwest corner of Metrotown, on the north side of Kingsway, east of McKay Ave. Metrotown Skytrain station; free or metered parking on nearby streets.
Agenda
- Introductions. Take 60 seconds to introduce yourself, your background, current activities. A good chance to try out that new elevator speech.
- 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.
- Brainstorming Q&A. Ask about a work-related problem and discuss potential solutions.
- Speed networking. Spend a few minutes with a new contact, exchange business cards, and discuss your professional backgrounds and goals.
