Professional Associations

Professional Associations

Professional Associations are an under utilized resource. Think of it like a club of people who all work in the same field, but for different companies. It is an opportunity for individuals to meet and talk with others who share their same interests. It is a good way to share ideas, get suggestions, learn about new areas, and attend fun activities.

Why Join?

Most Professional Associations have an extensive website with information pertinent to the field, lists of members, listserves, and job postings. Professional Associations are a unique opportunity to meet a large number of people who all work for different companies. Members are often eager to share advice with new professionals. Remember that most job openings are never posted in the newspaper. Instead they are filled by word of mouth.

Many Professional Associations have reduced student prices.

Fining the Best Professional Association for You

The easiest way is simply to ask! Don抰 waste time searching the internet when a two minute conversation with someone in the field will give you the answer you need. There are a few online directories that will help you find associations, however they will list several in your field. It may be hard to determine which is the best.

Occupational Outlook Handbook

The Occupational Outlook Handbook describes what workers do in different occupations. At the bottom of each listing is an section called 揝ources for Additional Information.?nbsp; Many professional Associations are listed here.

The Internet Public Library has a good list for web sites of prominent organizations and associations.

The ASAE Gateway to Associations Directory takes you directly to many of the associations currently operating on the World Wide Web. This page allows you to search for an association by name, interest area, or geographic location. Don抰 be deterred by geographic location, many national associations have local chapters.