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Learning by Association |
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Susan Aaron |
Your job
requires more than the allotted 40 hours, and you don't
have time to put another set of letters after your name.
Still, you want to keep up with changes in your industry
and career. One place to start is through a career or
industry association. After all, if there's one out
there for Women's Pro-Rodeo, chances are there's one out
there for what you do.
Barbara Stoler, director of career development and
outreach for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE), and Heath Row, founder of Fast
Company's Company of Friends, offer some insights on how
professional associations can help you.
Conferences
The traditional mode of education for professional
associations is the conference. IEEE and Fast Company
both use this method. IEEE is involved in more than 300
conferences each year, either as a sponsor or cosponsor.
"We act as a consulting body to those that run the
conferences and offer technical expertise," Stoler says.
The conferences feature seminars and tutorials, one- or
two-day short courses on a new technology and how to use
it on the job.
Fast Company also sponsors semiannual conferences called
"Real Time" that include people featured in the
magazine. "This is where the magazine comes to life,"
Row says.
Networking
National and international professional associations
often have geographically dispersed subgroups. The
central office may help the largely autonomous chapters
with content and organization, but the group's character
is strictly up to its members. IEEE has 300 of these
units in more than 150 countries, many of them offering
their own educational opportunities through local
seminars and workshops. Row started Company of Friends
at Fast Company. There are now 40,000 people in 35
countries who gather in groups called "cells." Row
describes Company of Friends as "people who connect to
the ideals of the magazine. They gather online and
offline to help each other build skills, and solve
problems." Fast Company provides each cell with a Web
space and tools to help "make the magazine's ideas
locally specific and personally productive."
The educational merit of networking with your peers
through seminars and discussion cannot be overestimated.
Unlike what you'll find in a book or most classes,
talking with your peers gives you dynamic information on
your industry in your location. What people are earning,
what they're learning down the street, who is succeeding
and why are all things you can learn from networking.
Learning Materials
Many professional associations offer their own learning
materials and discounts on related books and magazines.
IEEE's educational wing produces self-study materials
and video tutorials while the organization's Web site
offers a 10 percent discount off Web-based courses from
University of Washington, Stevens Institute, Pace
University, US Open University, NJIT and NTU. Through
alliances with the Harvard Business School Press, IEEE
members can also buy books and case studies at a
discount.
Fast Company and its Web site are the main learning
materials available to its community. A section of the
Web site, called FC Learning, organizes the articles
into a reference library and discussion forum.
Toward Certification or Licensing
The primary mission of many professional associations is
to maintain standards in their industries. So
associations usually promote the certification or
licensing of members. The connection between the
association and certification or licensing varies with
the association. The American Bar Association, for
example, provides accreditation to qualifying law
schools. State bar associations administer the licensing
exams to potential lawyers. The ABA offers information
to its members on how to best prepare for those exams.
The IEEE engages in political action to influence state
licensing boards and also helps prep its members for
exams.
Online
Unlike newsletters of the past, today's professional
association Web sites can reach their members anytime,
anyplace. Fast Company members can network and discuss
issues 24 hours a day online. Even the local cells
communicate through their online sites. New material is
made available in an instant, and older material is
accessible through an archive. Professional associations
have been around for centuries as a way of helping
professionals advance. Education is a natural extension
of that mission. Taking advantage of an association's
learning opportunities is a great way to keep up with
your industry without sacrificing your free time or
submitting to a schedule.
Quick Glossary
Accreditation: Evaluation of an
institution or program by an independent accrediting
body. Sometimes an individual's education's
accreditation status affects certification and
licensing.
Certification: Status awarded to
qualifying individuals within a profession.
Licensing: Status awarded to qualifying
individuals of professions that, by law, must prove a
level of proficiency prior to practice.
Advantages to Learning Through Professional Associations
On Your Schedule: No worrying about reading
piling up or submitting your family to a life of
semesters.
Authentic: Like mentoring, this is a way of
learning the real industry insider information.
Increasingly Global Via Technologies:
Web sites keep you connected to a diverse membership at
a click.
Includes Networking: You've got to
network, and you've got to learn. Professional
associations let you handle both tasks.
How to Find a Professional Association
Ask a valued professor or colleague
Yahoo!'s list of professional associations
Go to the library, and Search the Encyclopedia of
Associations in the reference section. |
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2008 Healthcare Hiring Outlook |
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