We’ve been living in interesting times, as the saying goes, and many of us feel that we’ve had about as much interest as we can tolerate, thank you very much. Chapter meeting attendance has been down, and the popularity of technical presentations has decreased while the popularity of career cafes and career management days has increased. In any conversation between three technical communicators, at least one is unemployed, about to be unemployed, or thinking about a career change.

So after attending the first STC board meeting of 2003, I’ve returned with renewed hope about the employment scene. Between meeting sessions, we (board members from the various corners of North America) trade notes on the health of the chapters in our region and the status of our own employment situations. My conclusion is that things are getting better.

My optimism is cautious. Companies’ willingness to spend on technical communication is a tenuous commitment, at best. Some are outsourcing their work. Others are looking for writers to work at bargain-basement salaries. A number are looking outside of North America for their technical communication needs. Yet despite these trends, I hear encouraging stories. A writer mentions that her temporary contract is rolling over to regular employee status. A contractor has lined up work for the first time in months. Demand seems to be on the rise.

The job market won’t be the same as the heyday of the ’90s. In fact, it may never look the same again. How we cope with this change will indicate our success in responding to the new marketplace. Are we willing to look beyond our core skills to our extended skill sets? Can we look at the trends and determine how we can fit? If we’ve let our skills fall behind, are we ready to catch up? Can we make the switch to being free agents? Do we have a personal “brand”? Are we broadening our horizons in what we read, in where we look for contacts, with whom we network? In other words, do we know how to re-invent ourselves for this new market?

This column is far too short to be helpful in setting out a roadmap for participating in the recovering economy. Besides, there are a vast number of existing resources available for the taking. The idea is to have a roadmap, to study the new landscape and determine where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. The rest, they say, is a matter of interest.