[MDGeist]

I was a member of an STC chapter in grad school and I went to a bunch of meetings and networking events hoping to get some practical career advice from more experienced technical writers.

At no point did it feel like anyone in the org could (or would) actually help me in the transition from grad school to technical writing work. It was a really disheartening experience. It does not surprise me that membership has waned over the years.

[unforswearing]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I recently considered joining STC in an attempt to bolster my career a bit (as technical writer without a college degree), but wasn't sure the theoretical benefits were worth the membership cost. Sounds like they might not have been able to help much in that area.

[billybuckwheat]

Even before the STC called it a day, you'd probably be better served attending local tech writer meetups (assuming there are any in your area) or joining the Write the Docs community (https://www.writethedocs.org/). When I was toiling in the tech comm world, I found that both helped my in my career more than interacting with the STC.

[unforswearing]

Thanks for these suggestions. I subscribe to the Write the Docs newsletter, and this is good motivation for me to dig deeper into what they have to offer.

[MDGeist]

I think mileage may have also varied based on industry and location. I eventually found my way into tech as a writer anyways, but most of the people I met via the STC were not working at tech companies. Granted it was DC so lots of defense contractors and the like.