Professional Associations

How do you stay on top of trends? How do you network with practitioners in your field?

Professional Associations are a great way to get linked in to your professional community.

A professional association is basically a community of in-field practitioners who set policies and standards for a given profession and offer opportunities to obtain certifications that uphold the standards of the field. Frequently, associations host conferences and post jobs for their members to view. Some may even support and produce a professional journal to let others know about current research and trends in the field.

Where can you find professional associations?

1. ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership: This is by far my favorite source for professional associations. Taken from their web site, "ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) is the membership organization and voice of the association profession. Founded in 1920, ASAE now has more than 22,000 association CEOs, staff professionals, industry partners, and consultant members. ASAE & The Center serve approximately 10,000 associations that represent more than 287 million people and organizations worldwide." The search engine is easy to use, and the information is updated consistently.
   
2. Weddle's:Not only is a Weddles a great source for job search, recruiting, and job board resources, but it also has a very extensive professional association search. Major associations in any field can be found here.
3. Google Directories: Although it's a bit more difficult to navigate this directory, it's a great place to perform a broad association search.

Membership costs vary from association to association, and many offer student discounts. A $50.00 membership would surely be worth the networking opportunities and resume boosting potential that a professional association has to offer.

Good luck!