Will you be among the first to certify?

Establishing yourself as a leader in your profession and saving money are two good reasons to be among the first to embark on STC's new certification program, said STC President Dr. Hillary Hart at STC Austin's fall kick-off meeting last week. Dr. Hart also expressed appreciation for the large turnout, so thanks to all who made it a successful event.

The Certified Professional in Technical Communication credential (CPTC) requires applicants to have a few years of on-the-job experience and should not be confused with college and university certification programs which aim to train newcomers to the profession. According to Dr. Hart, all those who certify will demonstrate competency in the following areas:

• User, task & resource research
• Information product design
• Process management
• Information development
• Information production

Graduates of the program may be eligible to become part of the team that certifies future applicants, a role which earns both professional recognition and a stipend.

Since the program is new, STC is offering the certification process at a deeply discounted rate. All the details are listed on the Certification page of the STC site: http://www.stc.org/education/stc-certification/certification-main.

We would love to hear your comments. Do you think a professional certification process will help define and improve respect for the profession, as Dr. Hillary Hart suggested? Do you plan to apply for certification? Why or why not?

Win One for Austin: STC-Houston Seeks Entries for Competition

Do you have a document you'd like to show off? STC Houston invites Austin technical communicators to participate in their 2011 "Gearing Up for Value" competition. The chapter is currently accepting entries in four categories: training materials, promotional materials, informational materials, and user support materials. Deadline is October 17th. For more information, check out the STC Houston competition web page. Good luck!

Not Cool for School: Forgetting the Obvious

Lin Pernille Photography creative commons

My son left his science notebook in his locker.  Since he needed it for homework, I frantically searched the school's website to see if we had time to run back before the building closed. 

20 minutes after scanning webpages and a PDF of the school's handbook, I still could not find the Hours of Operation. 

I did find info on:

"excusing a student from reciting a portion of the Declaration of Independence,"

and

"requesting classroom assignments for multiple birth siblings." 

Maddening, and funny.

I'm curious...   What obvious things should be included in documentation that Tech Writers frequently miss?   Do you have any stories to share?

Stay Relevant with Up-To-Date Certifications: STC International President Hillary Hart Explains New Program, Sept 14th at Tech Ranch

Austin's very own Hillary Hart, President of STC International, will discuss the new STC professional certification program that was announced at the May 2011 Summit in Sacramento, CA. Click for Eventbrite registration.

STC announced the inauguration of a professional certification program. Technical Communicators (not only STC members) may apply for evaluation of their work products and processes in 6 areas of professional practice. This certification is portfolio-based rather than exam-based. The program is still in beta testing, so there is a special rate until the end of the year. So how do you decide whether or not to pursue this certification? This talk will address that question by answering these questions:

• What are the benefits STC believes can accrue to professional certification?
• What are other “models”? Who is eligible for evaluation/certification?
• What are we learning as the program begins?
• What is STC’s role in administering the program?
• Who are the evaluators and how are they trained?  

Hillary is a fellow of the Society for Technical Communication and currently serves as the Society’s president. Having long served at the community and international levels, her STC awards include a Distinguished Technical Communication Award from Technical Communication in 2007 and the President’s Award in 2008. As Distinguished Sr. Lecturer in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas, Hillary has developed in the last 24 years a multi-level program in technical communication, teaching over 165 undergraduate and graduate engineering students yearly and bringing in speakers and scholarships. She also consults with and conducts short courses and workshops for a diverse selection of clients, including public agencies (the TX Water Development Board, TX Commission on Environmental Quality) and corporations such as BP-Amoco, Gestalt, and Alcoa. Hillary has published one book (sole author) and over 20 technical articles on environmental risk communication, engineering ethics, teaching communication to engineering undergraduates, and defining technical communication. She has also presented over 35 talks at national technical conferences (including 20 at STC conferences). As a researcher at UT Austin, she has helped secure $3,000,000 in grant funding.

Hillary will be happy to answer your questions and to summarize some of the other initiatives and services STC is rolling out this fall.

Where: Tech Ranch, 9111 Jollyville Road, Austin ,TX 78759

When: September 14th

What time: 6:30-8:30

How much: $5 Members $10 Non-Members

Pre-register at http://stcaustinchaptermeeting0914.eventbrite.com/

Click here for a map to Tech Ranch.