52nd Annual STC Conference:
They just keep getting better!

With the 52nd Annual STC Conference, in Seattle, under my belt, I can lay claim to seven conferences experiences. They were all great but somehow this year just felt a little better. Maybe it was the scenery. Wow—mountains to the east and to the west and Puget Sound and more mountains. Maybe it was all that seafood. Or perhaps the many kinds of draft beer available. (No—I didn't try them all no matter what Margie may claim!) Despite the rain we did get in some sight seeing. From the Space Needle we had a wonderful view of Mount Washington and the rest of Seattle. At least if it had been clear, it would have been wonderful!

The Joy of SOX

Unlike the weather, the conference shed a fair bit of light on my latest project. I'm working on Sarbannes-Oxley documentation, fondly called SOX by those of us who have the challenge of writing for a piece of American legislation that is rather inexplicit, at best. SOX tells us that any company that trades on the US Stock Exchange needs to ensure its management is accountable for producing accurate financial statements. But it doesn't go into specifics and since it's new, we're all feeling our way through the darkness towards the light.

Two sessions dedicated to SOX convinced me that we're on the right path, warned me of a couple things that could have easily slipped by us (but not the auditors) and opened up a whole new glossary of acronyms to wrestle with. It also introduced me to people who have the same struggles—some of whom are light years ahead and others who are struggling along the paths that we trudged last year.

Work and Personal Enlightenment

I always think "this year there won't be enough sessions that will give me something new". And then I look through the preliminary schedule and draft a short list of—maybe 30—possible sessions to attend. This year I took a new slant. I attended several sessions that were specific to my work (after all, the company was paying for me to eat that seafood), but I also made a point of going to a couple "me" sessions. By balancing work needs to personal enlightenment, I stayed fresh and eager.

Favourite Sessions

To see descriptions of two of our members' favourite sessions, read Margie Yundt's and Fei Min Lorente's article.

About Carol Lawless

Carol has been a member of our profession since 1993 and is a senior STC member. She currently leads a team of writers who produce system documentation within the IT division at Sun Life Financial. This is Carol's third year as our treasurer. Outside of the STC and work, Carol's special interest is Ancient Civilizations, which is why she is currently visiting Greece and Turkey. In her spare time, she runs Mom's taxi and loves to read (while waiting for the next taxi run!)