Use of Professional Organizations 6

[Airmack]

Being rather fresh to the ME workforce, I recently applied for membership with ASME for career development and possible mentoring. I wanted to toss out a few questions in the spirit of making the most of the experience:

[tab]What have you found most valuable about ASME (or any professional organization)?

[tab]Other than the obvious conferences, classes, etc., what are some creative ways that a member can make the most of a membership?

[tab]What are some things to avoid as a member of a professional organization?

 

[tygerdawg]

<warning: old burned out ex-prof society member>

I am ex-ASME, ex-SME, held offices at both.

The usefulness of belonging is:
(1) join up, get active make contacts. Contacts are more useful than techical knowledge.
(2) join up, get active, be a local leader. Learn management skills with very little risk because most of the rank-and-file membership are sheep anyway and will be led through hell and back because someone else is doing the thinking.
(3) Technical learning opportunities. Well, once in a blue moon. Only worth it if your company pays the bill because usually it is just some hack making a buck teaching the obvious anyway. See #1 above.
(4) Developing a healthy cynicism for professional societies that don't really do anything for your **profession**, and realizing that the money your company pays for your membership then goes to pay the salary of leeches at the society headquarters.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Advanced Robotics & Automation Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[RossABQ]

Tend to agree with above. I've never held office in a society but it seems like the primary functions at the local level are 1) a free lunch (paid by co.) that costs 2x what you'd pay out of your own pocket, and 2) local networking. But I wouldn't minimize the value of either!

The national level ASME courses are among the best offered IMO, and tend to be presented by people you'd never have access to otherwise.

Don't confuse the prof. societies with unions, they are not intended to represent us other than at a very high level.

 

[MintJulep]

And to add to the above...

You can participate on technical committees developing standards.

This can become useful later in your career because you will be able to say things like, "don't tell me what you think the standard means, I wrote the dang standard!" in meetings.

 

[fcsuper]

tygerdawg,

You didn't mention any cons!

Matt
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
sw.fcsuper.com
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group

 

[MintJulep]

and by the way,

"Voting member on ASRE* Technical Committee 874.9g and Significant Contributor to ASRE Standard 2312-07" looks cool on your resume.

*American Society of Resume Enhancement

 

[sms]

Gotta love that MintJulep, mainly because I have used it...

I have not gotten all that much out of 27 years of ASME membership, but I have made some good contacts, and I have given papers at the conference of several technical venues that have gained me some visability in the industry...




"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970

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

 

[tygerdawg]

Yeah, fcsuper, you're right. The CON would be the time commitment to extract the PRO form those Societies.

But I'm not a negative kinda guy. I don't give negatives or cons. People would think that I'm some old burned out cynical anti-Professional Society geezer evangelist!


TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Advanced Robotics & Automation Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[rmw]

I have been an ASME member for at least 25 years because I have a plaque on the wall from the Society and have had it for several years.

I have held offices in local chapters and could have been on standards committees if I had pushed the point. Many of the points made previously I would have made had the posters not done so.

A real and tangible benefit that accrued to me just this past week was receiving a notice from my local section that they were sponsoring an "ethics" session for ME's needing the ubiquitous Ethics PDH for PE license renewal which I did, so I went.

It has been through the auspices of the local ASME chapters that I have typically satisfied that requirement. A real nice benefit I'd say.

rmw

 

[gr2vessels]

Sweet revenge!! The real professional down in the trench, to be told by the incompetent, burned out office holder how to use the Code. And then thank him for his generosity of not tossing out your hard work! Airmack, with any Society membership, you're bound to impress a few nice girls.
cheers,
gr2vessels