April Showers Bring May Flowers...

by Opal Gamble, President

Spring is here. I can feel it. Okay, so we might get a few more snow squalls yet, but you can't change the fact that the robins are out, the lawn is nearly visible again, and the light mist of leaves spouting on trees is only a few weeks away.

On to more relevant topics—at least until the tulips sprout...

Conference time

With spring here, it's time to start pondering the annual STC Conference.

As many of you know, I attended the 51st Conference last year in Baltimore.

Though the trip started and ended with a bumpy ride on a tiny AirCanada plane and Airways Transit vehicle, it was smooth sailing from beginning to end. Baltimore was great, and the conference was an all-around amazing experience.

Three reasons you should go

There are many, many reasons you should consider attending this year's conference. However, for the sake of brevity, I'll keep it to three. You're welcome!

1. Learn, learn, learn

I couldn't believe the number of seminars the conference offered. So many choices, so little time!

It really was difficult to select just one seminar for some of the time slots. I started to wish I had a clone I could send to take notes at some of the other ones!

Seriously, though, my favourite sessions of all were the Bleeding Edge, part 1, 2, and 3. These sessions each featured 3 different speakers, talking about their new-tech discoveries or specialties. It was geek alphabet soup with all of the short form terminology flying around.

2. More bang for your buck

While you're off learning (and maybe touring Seattle—we won't tell), you can rest assured that you're spending your education dollars well.

As discussed in the December 2004 issue of our newsletter, the STC Conference is very reasonably priced (as is the membership cost: hint-hint, if you haven't renewed yet!).

The cost is even more reasonable when you consider that each day you're getting up to four seminars, as well as entertainment, exhibitor booths, and a tech-comm-polooza. Even better, this goes on for three days—four if you attend Leadership Day.

3. Meet some people!

Yes, I know, I keep harping on the networking thing, but really, at the conference it's hard not to do it. People are so eager to exchange ideas that the sessions you attend just naturally set you up to talk to your peers about ideas and opinions.

Sometimes you learn the most from the people in the audience, because a really good speaker facilitates discussion.

Now, that said, the STC does a really great job of organizing social activities in the evenings, so you don't have to talk shop for three days straight. Rumour has it that the annual Jam Session is quite the event.

A few parting shots

Back on firm ground, in Toronto, I sat in the uncomfortable terminal chairs waiting for the Airways Transit van. The people around me had all gotten off the same commuter flight as me, and many of them had little STC items that identified them as having done the same travels in the previous few days.

The man next to me told me that he'd gone to STC conferences nearly every year for 15 years!

What he said next really struck me: "We go because once a year; it's a family reunion. These people aren't just my peers, they're my friends."

Sounds a little corny, doesn't it?

But at the same time, I think he's onto something.

About Opal Gamble

Technical writer, web monkey, and general geek, Opal's wanted to be a tech writer since high school; she became a STC-SOC council member in 1997. A graduate of UW's co-op Rhetoric and Professional Writing program, Opal is a contract Technical Writer at Campana. She also runs her own freelance business, SiO2.

When she's not doing STC business, Opal participates in autocross events (with a hybrid car, no less!) and tries to cultivate a green thumb in her garden.