The Demise of STC

I recently received an email that described the demise of the Society for Technical Communicators. The organization went bankrupt. I was saddened on several levels. As a member, the society has been so helpful over the time I have belonged to it. Their job boards were once a great resource. The previous organization I had shared with others was encouraging and a real community.

I did notice over the last several years that there have been less and less vital communication to members. The cost of membership was rising to a point I seriously considered if belonging had any advantages. STC was more like a large organization that lost that personal feel it once had. I’m guessing others had the same thoughts as the email stated a drop in membership as part of its issues: “Despite significant efforts over the past several years by the various Boards of Directors and STC leadership, financial liabilities coupled with falling membership numbers have created a situation where we are not able to offer the education, resources, and outreach that this membership expects and deserves. Various cost-cutting measures and attempts to generate revenue have not been sufficient, and our debt and operational expenses now outweigh our ongoing revenue.”

I wasn’t surprised by this message, just at the timing. As I said, I’m sad to see STC go. Having said that, I am glad I teach in the online certificate program at CSUDH in technical writing. Considering how much STC was charging for their now defunct certification, I think the CSUDH certificate is fully worthwhile. Originally STC was less about classes and certs and more about community and offering resources for all levels of membership. Then it changed. Expensive classes, additional costs for membership perks, and cost increases for their conference were noticeable. When they introduced their cert., I had questions which couldn’t be answered clearly by stakeholders (I’ve compared their curriculum to CSUDH’s), and their cert wasn’t widely supported by organizations.

In comparison, CSUDH technical writing certification focuses on practical portfolio-building content versus STC’s more theoretical focus of the original cert. Then STC created more and more certs with expected additional costs of continuing education units for certifications to (cost-required) STC functions. I was surprised at their approach considering their membership. No one at STC was keeping pay scales for tech writers in mind or other cert costs (such as software or security) that may be required of technical writers beyond a tech writer cert. I believe cost was a big factor for many members, forcing them out. STC didn’t even list CSUDH or other accredited programs that were non-degree bearing in their database, but perhaps that is because they wanted to promote their own certs. This was a complete change from previous years. (They used to promote and discount the former UCLA tech writing certificate program, which I attended.)

It is such a shame that STC didn’t stay as authentic to their original goals and audience of technical writers and communicators. The organization priced itself out of their audience by charging extra for most activities and literally spread itself too thin over time to try and capture interest by increasing: special interest groups, chapters, conferences, certification courses and exams, committee and subcommittee activities, classes (not cert related), recognitions, awards, competitions, events, publications, and activities. It failed to have timely discussions regarding the use of AI and other concerns of technical writers and communicators. I do hope some day a version of STC will resurrect itself to a better streamlined and managed organization with clear vision and mission statement but for now, the sun sets on another memorable organization.

Advanced Technical Communication Class at CSUDH

I teach the Advanced Technical Writing/Communication course and it starts soon at California State University Dominguez Hills. The course is entirely online and students learn advanced technical writing techniques along with improving their writing skills. Students get hands-on experience creating portfolio pieces they will need to apply for job positions. As we discuss key areas of technical communication, we work on putting together a portfolio so you can show what you know right away. Students may take the Advanced Class even if they have not completed the Fundamentals course as long as they have some writing experience. The certificate at California State University Dominguez Hills consists of three courses.

If you’d like to learn more, check out the Technical Writing Certificate page. The Advanced course Starts:

Date: 08/19/2024 – 10/20/2024

Days/Times/Location: Asynchronous Online

For questions, email learn@csudh.edu or call 310-243-2075

Lu Kondor has worked as a technical writer for more than 20 years at major corporations. She has a Doctorate in Business Management and has created a large variety of documents, videos, and copy for organizations in entertainment, software, public utilities, manufacturing, oil and gas, chemical, B2B, consumer-based products, and the nuclear process industries. She is an adjunct lecturer in Advanced Technical Writing as well as Information Design for more than 17 years.

Abobe Max Conference – 2021

I recently attended this year’s Adobe Max Conference. I use Adobe products all the time and thoroughly enjoyed the conference. There were hundreds of sessions. There was also the usual smattering of the famous, the academics, and wonderful artists. My favorites were the practical tips in Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects and that’s where I spent most of my time.

My take on this is that there are some exciting new technologies coming out way in AR. I wasn’t that impressed with the 3D tools presented. Considering the additional cost beyond the creative suite (appears to be its own suite), not worth it with all the hype. I’ve recently taken to learning and using Z-Brush and Blender and will be sticking with those. My one big disappointment was the lack of updates and information on Acrobat and Audition. I would love to see more about what the future holds for those tools.

However, the improvements coming to their core software are amazing. The graphic design, illustration, digital painting, and After Effects sessions (as well as Premiere & InDesign) were worth it. I found myself jumping out of sessions on 3D to join other awesome sessions. The social media sessions were worth a note (even if you don’t do much social media) because they had excellent hosts and they were generous with information and tips. Finally, one impressive aspect of the conference is the demonstration of the speed of Apple’s new Computers. If you can view the materials (not sure if you need an account), I recommend taking the time to watch as many videos as you can if you use Adobe products.