Council's Corner

Dear All,

Heartiest congratulations to all of us on the 25th anniversary of STC India! 

What an incredible journey it has been so far! Right from playing a critical role in establishing technical communication as a career option in the Indian subcontinent to fostering the growth and development of the role of a technical communicator - STC India has served as an organization that has contributed to the community a great deal.  

Now as we look back with a sense of achievement with the long list of accomplishments, we also realize that this is a great time for us to have a perspective on what will help us stay relevant and keep evolving as an organisation in the next 25 years and more! We couldn't have had a better theme for the Annual Conference aligned with this intent: 25 Now & 25 Next – Whatever It Takes!

If Covid taught us how we could evolve as an organisation where we hosted the STC India Annual Conference virtually for the first time in 22 years, it also helped us host global speakers and audience without having to worry much about the logistics. We hosted speakers and pioneering individuals in their respective fields like Kristina Halvorson, Michael Iantosca, Mike Hamilton, and Torry Padmajersky for the first time at STC India. After Covid, we put our efforts to make ours a learning-based organization and hosted multiple learning sessions and quarterly conference.

As we gather together to celebrate our 25th and coming back to physical conference after a break of 3-years due to COVID, we are overwhelmed by the responses we have received from the community that is reflected in the enthusiasm in all about attending the conference, and we have a thoughtfully curated program schedule to get you the best value of your time at the conference.

The latest addition to our initiative is the STC India Video Podcast Channel, WriteByte with Sachin Shenoy. Hope you enjoy listening to some of the best leaders in the industry through the channel.

Here’s to many more initiatives in keeping with the times!

Looking forward to providing you a platform to connect and learn from each other in the community;  expand the horizon of our reach to include other skills in the user assistance professions like videos, e-learning, content and so on; providing coaching and directions to the members; and help the leader in each one of you shine and be the guiding light by taking up roles to nurture change and adaptability and elevate the community. 

Let’s have a great conference!

Warm regards and best wishes,
Rajib Borkataki
President – STC India

Every so often, individuals who are trying to break into the tech writing world ping me on Linkedin and ask how they can start as a tech writer. I tell them that there isn’t a single prescriptive method that one can use; one has to look at available jobs in the market and create their own way in.

But what I do share with them is how I made it to this industry. And like many others before me, it was by accident. I always knew I wanted to write. But I didn’t know it would be Tech writing.

 But once I knew what it was all about, I was willing to do whatever it took.

After almost a decade working in a factory, it was time to reinvent myself. The IT industry was just booming and the money-bug bit me as well. I evaluated several positions, even managed a couple of interviews, but they were all looking for ‘experienced’ candidates.

Sometimes, when you aren’t able to get to what you want, you have to look for those side roads. And during my time, one such side road was the call center. I knew about how people got into the call center and then panned out - when the opportunity came.

When I joined the center, I was not very keen on tech support. But seeing my background in the automotive industry, they thought I would be a natural at troubleshooting issues. And they were right.

 I realized that for any job, I had to prove myself on whatever it is that I was entrusted with and only then would I be considered for anything else. Even if the two are unrelated.

It was not an easy product to support and the process we had to follow - only made it worse. I realized that to get better at what I’m doing, I had to interact with people who had ‘got it’. So on my weekends, I came to the call center and sat alongside the best agents to listen to how they took calls. People laughed at me - for wasting my weekend as well. But eventually, you can say that I had the last laugh.

You have to learn to showcase your skills. What you bring to the table has to be evident. Otherwise, it’s a lost cause from the beginning. And how I did it was by creating email newsletters that I used to circulate around my team. These went viral internally. The content was sourced from conversations with senior agents. It included fixes that were not even there in the Knowledge base we were using. And that’s not enough for consumption. It was written in a witty, easy to consume manner. People started to take notice and when the opportunity arrived, there wasn’t much convincing to be done.

Before you zero-in on this career, please speak to at least 5 tech writers and understand their journey. Understand what they do every day. What is it that they like to do about the work, and what don’t they like. Understand what success looks like and how their work is measured. And then decide if it’s something that will excite you. 

Most freshers just want a job.

To anyone trying to break in, my first suggestion is to do a certification. Doing one shows them that you are serious about the profession, are invested, and willing to learn. 

Build yourself a content-portfolio. Create your own work. Identify badly written content (Look at Chinese product manuals for inspiration!)

 Work on your resume. Assume you are the product and your resume is the documentation. How would you describe yourself in a manner that would make them sit up and take notice? Unless you start thinking about ways to differentiate yourself, you are just another square peg. Like everyone else.

Once certified, the next challenge is getting the attention of the hiring manager. Your best bet is to build a network and try to connect with them directly on Linkedin. If you can’t connect, try to connect with people who are part of their network and then ask to be introduced.

 Learn to ask for help. Asking for help is a strength.

 Connect with me on Linkedin. I will be happy to continue this conversation there.

And then - finally, be prepared to do whatever it takes - to show the world what it takes to be a technical communicator.

I have been associated with Tech Pubs or Technical Communication for more than two decades. My introduction to STC was way back in 2005, when I started working as a full-time member of Tech Pubs function in Pune. The sessions were a great way to see that there was a diverse mix of people who would attend and participate in the sessions. The topics being discussed in these sessions would range from language skills to technical skills required for the job, tools used by different organizations, different ideologies and helped me understand the broader perspective of what technical communication is and can be.

As my engagement level with STC increased, I took up more tasks like planning the sessions, organizing the conferences, volunteering for annual conferences and that meant the tables had turned and I had the chance to hone my organizing skills, my interpersonal skills, and work on management skills. This opportunity opened new challenges, but at the same time gave me a chance to meet people - meant more networking, more interaction and very impactful brainstorming.

Eventually I took up the roles of President and Treasurer in STC India Admin Council. I take pride in the fact that during my tenure as the President, the STC India Chapter was awarded the Platinum award for its contributions towards the community. The pandemic hit during that time, and I was one of the many who hosted the annual conference in a virtual mode for the very first time. This meant I had a different set of challenges and another great learning experience.

The STC learning sessions and the annual conferences, in addition to the content, have also been popular for the networking opportunities. In my Tech Pubs journey, being a part of STC has helped me immensely to understand the ask of the function, the vibe and importance of Tech Pubs as a function. I have made some really good friends here – dependable, helpful friends who are probably sailing in the same boat or a similar boat and are doing different things at their workplaces. I have often turned to these people when in doubt and have got the needed direction and guidance.

Today as STC India Chapter completes its 25 glorious years, I can say with conviction that STC has added value to me as a professional. It was not just the learning sessions where the obvious learning was enabled, it was STC as an experience. STC India Chapter has given me the exposure and confidence that I can do much more and hone my skills in ways that would not be possible in a regular work environment.

I am grateful to all the admin council members I have met over the years and want to thank them for giving me the opportunity and believing in me.

I am sure STC India Chapter will continue to have a positive impact on the members and the attendees!!