Professional Society Attendance? 2

[BLadewig]

I'm curious to see what people think about the general topic of professional society attendance, in this case specifically related to local functions.

I attend the meetings both to network with industry people and also to just have the occasional good technical conversation. In addition, I consider the topics that the presenters bring to be an interesting supplement to my general industry knowledge gathering, even when they don't apply directly to my job.

After having almost exclusively focused on the job at hand for years now, I'm trying to pull my view back a bit to understand more about the industry in general and also just to get to know as many people as I can. I work in the power industry in the southwest and am in awe of how everyone over about 45 seems to know everyone else. Someday I aim to be in that same club.

The local IEEE PES seems to provide very real and tangible benefits, but I've found it's like pulling teeth to get colleagues to come along. Why is this?

Actually, that's probably the wrong question to ask. I'm guessing it's typical that most people that are comfortably employed don't really make much of an effort to network. I'm also guessing that the idea of trying to strike up a conversation with strangers probably makes some people nervous. And finally, I suppose I can see how some people don't want to be bothered with all this for a topic that doesn't affect their exact range of interests.

So maybe the question is better posed as why *you* (meaning any reader happening by this thread) do or do not attend?

 

[GregLocock]

The local group for me holds meetings 50 miles away, and most of the lectures are 'here's some slides of me and a big machine' standard.

The trouble is, we can't really talk about work, and talking to people you don't know about not-work is more easily and fruitfully done locally.

Plus to be honest most of the attendees are denture sucking retirees or mad inventors.





Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[zdas04]

I'm a past-chairman of our local SPE chapter and still fairly active in the chapter. I got active when I started my business as a means to network, drum up business, and stay in touch with people I'd worked with. I haven't gotten much business from this involvement, but hope still springs eternal. I always end up having interesting conversations with folks and sooner or later one of them will evolve into a business relationship--I'm sure of it.

David

 

[sauba]

There are very few peers in my age/experience (24, 2.5 years industry experience) range at my local ASHRAE chapter which I find to be a bit of a deterrant.

I would enjoy the opportunity to discuss some of the issues of being a young engineer with peers rather than just hear from the seasoned vets all the time, but I think the generational gap is something that only time will cure.

 

[HgTX]

I have no interest in ASCE. I liked their magazine but never had the time to read it. Other than that, they're not useful to me. I have plenty of contacts and networking opportunities in my specialty (or my general area of concentration); ASCE is way too general to be of any use.

Hg

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[metengr]

That is too bad HgTX. I am involved with several Codes and Standards committees and one technical society. I find that it is extremely important to meet peers at these functions and to listen and contribute, as required. There are a lot of smart people out there, and it is just amazing at the amount of information that is exchanged during and after meetings. In fact, I find that going to business dinners with peers provides the best atmosphere for information exchange.

To maintain the edge in your profession, one has to develop contacts and network. I consider it professional development, which allows me to attend these meetings. When I was a younger engineer, I felt that going to these meetings was a waste of time because I didn't know anyone and felt that I knew the information. Well, guess what, I was wrong and wished that I had started sooner. Fortunately, the metallurgical engineering community is rather small and close knit, especially in the Power Generation sector and Codes and Standards meetings, so I was able to gain considerable ground.

 

[EngJW]

I used to go to these meetings because they had interesting speakers and plant tours. Now the nearest chapter is a 3 hour drive. Even if nearer, it would be money for a dinner and a couple of beers that needs to go in the gas tank, plus a late night that would do me in next day. Networking is a bunch of bull in my experience. Most of the guys were just regular engineers with no influence over hiring. The engineering and HR mangagers stay home and watch football.

It helps to have a supportive company. The guys from the big companies got their memberships paid and got sent to the seminars, conventions, and committee meetings. The rest of us have to pay for it ourselves. I can go in a library and get a book for free, instead of paying to hear some expert give a talk where all the technical content has been watered down.

 

[vooter]

Once I got my PE license, I rejoined a couple of the societies I'd belonged to as a student. When I was in school, the student chapters were pretty good because: 1) the professors who advised us were excited about their field(s) and transfered that excitement to me (this was my personal experience). 2) We got good discounts on conference fees, e.g., free admission to the Offshore Technology Conference. 3) We got to participate in fun activities/contests with other student chapters.

The reality, though, was that belonging to these societies did barely squat when it came to getting a job. And once you're out of school, they're doggoned expensive. Plus, unless you have the experience in the work world, no one will pay attention to you.

So I let my memberships lapse and got the experience and re-joined later when I could afford it and actually make a difference. Having "M, ASCE" kind of means something, at least to me...

The local chapters aren't as important to me as the national orgainization is; however, there are local specialty groups that put on very good lectures.

Somewhat OT:

"The trouble is, we can't really talk about work, and talking to people you don't know about not-work is more easily and fruitfully done locally."

Why can't we talk about work? This is how my father approached his career and I never knew what he really did for a living (found out later... he was a computer scientist, oooh, ahhh). So while my peers' dads were lawyers, doctors, maybe an engineer or two, my father did... what did he do?

I've also found that if you're in the habit of not talking about work, you aren't well-prepared to talk about work when you have to talk about work.

So I talk about work all the time! I define myself as an engineer so I'd better be able to talk the talk since I walk the walk!

 

[tygerdawg]

I used to think those societies were worthwhile, but no more.

I was active in local ASME & SME, even rising to Chapter Chair and on International Committees for SME. Never got any good "network" contacts through 15 years of activity. Made a few good friends. Discovered that the only purpose of the Headquarters was to make work for the local chapters so that the HQ could keep their jobs. When I realized what the answer to the question "If your company didn't pay your membership fee, would you attend?" was a big fat NO, then I dropped my memberships.

Local chapters were consistently attended by a "core" group, rarely anyone new. I started sharing meetings with other local societies in order to get some cross-breeding, that worked for a while.

The only benefit that I can say that I received was (1) looks great on resume and (2) gave me a chance to practice and learn some planning & leadership skills in a no-risk enterprise.

TygerDawg

 

[MikeHalloran]

The problem with talking publicly about work is that your competitors will figure out what you are doing, and sometimes more important, what you are _not_ doing.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[vooter]

"The problem with talking publicly about work is that your competitors will figure out what you are doing, and sometimes more important, what you are _not_ doing."

Yeah, like giving out your real name on Eng-Tips... Instead of working you're messing around on this web site.

 

[GregLocock]

Some of us can afford to have computers at home.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[MikeHalloran]

I wouldn't call my participation here "messing around" in any case, but right now I'm between jobs, so I'm not neglecting my work.

Potential employers wishing to rent my skill set may find me with relatively little effort.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[49078]

So...does anyone think they are valuable?

Personally, I just graduated school recently and now work at a firm made up entirely of engineers. I love engineering but I have had enough time spent over the last 6 or so years talking to, well....engineers. I have spent that time in rooms that are usually 90% guys who think they are god's gift to the world that when I'm not acutally at work I'm Really not at work.

Having said that, I just assumed everyone joined one of these after working for a few years. There has to be more than one guy who recommends them, right? I even had one picked out. I always assumed the technical aspect of the meetings was more of a show and it was actually just a group of people meeting up every so often to catch up, No?

 

[HgTX]

metengr--

You miss my point. Codes & standards committees are not the same as professional societies. I'm on code or certification committees for multiple subcommittees of four or five different organizations. Who the hell needs (or has the time for) a little meet-n-greet at a local ASCE chapter meeting with people who have absolutely nothing to do with what I do for a living? Civil engineering is a mighty broad field and in the several years that I got invitations to their little gatherings and brown-bag seminars, I never saw one topic that had anything to do with me.

'Course, what I really need to do is hang around not with my fellow committee members, but with *their* bosses. But I haven't figured out how to do that yet. (I'm not sure where they hang out, and when I do know, I don't know how to put myself there.)

Hg

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[IRstuff]

In many cases, your work is proprietary, so public discussion is not allowed.

The local optical society usually has some interesting speakers, but the dinner meetings are across town on a school night.

TTFN

 

[Heckler]

Yes, I think they're a good network tool but that depends on who shows up for the meetings and the topics. I was really involved in the local chapter of SAE as a student and as a professional. I met a lot of great people that helped me in the beginnings of my professional career.

 

[PhilBW]

I have had both good and not-so-good experiences with prefessional societies. I used to belong to ASHRAE. The topics and seminars were interesting and directly applied to my job. I met a lot of people in my industry and made a lot of really great contacts. I knew most of the vendors, contractors and engineers in my city, and their reputations. Overall it was really a benefit to my career.

Then we decided we needed to move closer to family. There were no jobs available in HVAC, so now I am doing machine design. ASHRAE no longer applies to my job, so I recently joined ASME. I think the entire mechanical engineering field is too broad for a worthwhile prefessional society. From what I have seen so far, very few of the meeting topics apply to my job, and the people are so diverse in their expertise that it doesn't appear the contacts will be a huge benefit. I probably will not renew my memebership when it expires.

Phil

 

[EddyC]

I've found some of the topics discussed to be interesting and informative at the various society functions. Attending some of them is now a greater priority than it used to be due to the fact that I now require continuing education credits to keep my PE license.

 

[TFL]

The real benifitis the people you meet. The benifits may not be immediate. The people on the committee could be the boss in 5 or 10 years that hires you once they are promoted.
As a young person you can get yourself involved in commitees on a national level where they are actively seeking young minds for input. there are not a lot of young people who want to be on committes. i am on one where i am the youngest person in the room and the rest of the people are deans of engineering schools, department heads and owners of companies. Some very potentially valuable contacts there. All becasue i have only been liscensed for a few years. I view it as an investment that MAY payoff in the future. You have to do alot of things in life to see which one pay off.

I would alos aregue the value of a societly membership on a resume unless there is some activity with it. anyone can pay a fee to put it on thier resume.