by Phyllis Thompson

The economic news is good, then bad, then good. In my role as chapter president, I receive calls from many different places. People are calling and asking, "What about the economy of the Portland area? Should I move there? I want to leave...(California or North Carolina or 'insert name of state here') and I've heard that it's very nice in Portland. How about it?"

It's amazing to me how fast the National economy supposedly went from full bore to full stop. Even the companies that make the staples of the new economy, routers and switches and chips, are wondering what happened. We went from worries about not fulfilling all the orders to worries about the growth projections for the next quarter and how these projections (read "guesses") will impact the current stock price. We're walking on pins and needles, waiting to hear some news so we can react to it. Every little movement in the stock market is over analyzed and extrapolated into indicating a new depression or the end of the downturn.

So, what does it mean to the technical writing community? Of course I don't know anything specific about the future, but I know that companies depend upon good employees to make it all work, and that highly skilled, technical workers are in short supply and will continue to be in short supply. How can you buffer yourself against the economic hyperbola? We are already in the fortunate position of having skills that are flexible and transferable. We already know that the economy goes up and down, jobs come and go. We need to keep honing our skills and looking for areas where the need will be greatest so we can prepare to fill that need when it materializes. I'm willing to bet that most of us have gone through downsizing and layoffs before; they happen even in the best of times.

Yes, companies may be cutting back for now, and some may go under, but others will take advantage of this economic roller coaster and come out stronger than before. One thing I recently learned is that in the stock market, people make money when the market goes up, but other people make money when the market goes down. It's the same way in our business--companies may be cutting back on hiring staff writers, but the work still needs to be done, so that increases the market for contractors. Things may be a bit uncertain for a while, but having good employees is doubly important if you are only allowed to have a set number of them and you can't replace them if they leave, because of mandated hiring freezes.

In any situation there is a positive side if you are adaptable. I hope I'm not sounding like a Pollyanna, but I can't see that conditions in the high-tech industry will change that much. Will customers suddenly decide that they don't care if the software they buy is badly designed or buggy? Will companies suddenly decide that they don't really need routers or servers? Will the need for a Web presence suddenly go away? Eventually the overproduction will catch up with the real demand and things will even out again and start growing, but maybe not in the same way as before. Change is a big part of the appeal of our jobs, so think of this as an opportunity to use the change as you've used change in the past--to grow.

Election Time
Spring is upon us so it's time to think about chapter elections. Our chapter by-laws provide for a succession in chapter leadership, which allows incoming officers to be trained by those currently in the position. The position of president is filled by succession from the first VP position, as is the first VP position filled from succession from the second VP. The elected positions on the council are second VP, treasurer, and secretary. If you are interested in any of these positions please give me a call to discuss them (503-617-2471). We will be holding our elections early in May and look forward to installing the new officers at our end-of-year celebration in June.

New STC Web Site Unveiled
Take a look at the new society Web site at www.stc.org. It has a completely new look and the society has a new logo. Check it out!

Phyllis Thompson serves as president of the STC Willamette Valley chapter and is a documentation manager at Merant. She can be reached at Phyllis.Thompson@Merant.com.