Professionals by Association
“Never waste a crisis” is one of my favorite sayings. And every new year, when resolutions are carefully drafted but hastily abandoned, one of my annual resolutions is to publish a weekly blog on topics related to my three main professional passions: education systems, associations, and lifelong learning. Today, I am sitting in the waiting room awaiting the results of a mini-crisis: the repairs on damage to my car. I wasn’t planning to spend today fixing my car, but why waste a “crisis”. For 2023, I will commit to this annual and unfilled resolution because even mini-crises should not be wasted!
I will begin the new year with a story about the power of associations. Yes, this is an important marketing campaign by ASAE, the “association for associations”. I feel the power of associations as a force for good which has literally shaped every aspect of my professional career. For the new year, I encourage everyone to commit to joining an association in their major profession or personal interest or expertise. If you already belong to an association, consider joining one more – maybe your national organization if you are active in your local or state organization, or maybe your local or state affiliate if you belong to a national association. In lieu of the standard appeal that association membership dues compare favorably to “the price of a cup of coffee a day”, I have a different story to share about the power of associations. Quite simply, that I owe my entire professional career to associations.
It Started With a Little Encouragement
As a graduate student preparing to be a K-12 classroom teacher, I was encouraged by mentors and professors to attend our state’s professional conference for teachers in our subject area (mine was social studies). Ahead of attending the March conference, I was coached to dress professionally, bring a few copies of my resume on appropriate stock paper (this was the late 90’s, for context), and make sure to talk about my experiences in student teaching and finding a full-time position with everyone I met. At a luncheon, I happened to sit next to a high school department chair from a Long Island, New York high school. He asked about my internship (a full-year in a middle school, with a month in a high school); my interests (open to any middle or high school classroom, and especially enjoy working with seventh-and eighth-graders this year); my preferred location (have some connections to Long Island and would be happy to relocate there); and, lastly, if I happened to have a copy of my resume (please take two!). We shook hands, he thanked me for the conversation, and suggested he would follow-up with me.
A few weeks later, he called to invite me to interview for an open middle school teaching position in his district. I drove down and had a successful experience. A week later, I was invited for a second interview and the chance to do a demonstration lesson in an eighth-grade classroom. Another week later, the district offered me a full-time teaching position. All because of a chance meeting at a professional association conference, and strong preparation from professionals who encouraged me to start building a network before I sought my first paid position.
Leading from Within
Years later, my first non-teaching position in education was as a curriculum and assessment specialist for a state education agency. I was there for nine years and served as the agency’s liaison to several boards for education professional associations across the state. I was always requested to seek input from these associations and their boards, present at association conferences, and network with professionals at association events – all to keep the voice of teachers strong in our work. When I returned to schools as a district administrator, I immediately was invited to join the executive board of our state association as vice-president to fill an unplanned vacancy. Now, I had the chance to keep connecting with professionals and to shape the direction and voice of the association itself. My three years as an officer – culminating in the presidency and leading a conference that doubled in attendance from previous years – were exhilarating. This was direct service to my colleagues statewide – and to an association where I found my first teaching job. During this time of state association leadership, I started attending our national association conferences, and became the chair of the Resolutions Committee at the national House of Delegates Assembly.
Pursuing a Larger Role
And this is where my professional association journey takes an even more unique turn: I applied for, and was selected to, national association leadership in 2016. Now, my professional association was not simply a great place for me to network, connect, learn, lead, and grow – this was where I could work and make a profound difference every day for professionals like me, as an association leader. I could help our members them to network, connect, learn, lead, and grow as my full-time vocation. I am six years into my tenure as the chief staff officer of a national professional association. Wherever my path takes me further in life, I will always credit my professional associations for every opportunity I have seized along the way.
Why Associations
I hope this story inspires you to seek a professional path through an association. Whether you are simply a voracious consumer of content and learning, someone who wants to lead committees or other services opportunities, or interested in strengthening your network, an association is the best place to start. Associations are built for this purpose and have decades (centuries!) of experience creating the conditions for you to have a strong and dynamic career path!
In many public presentations over the years, I have called associations “the original social networks.” Today’s associations leverage communications, learning technologies, and advocacy resources to make a profound impact on professional and professionals worldwide.
Happy new year! Make it a great one through your association. And if you are just coming off a holiday season of giving gifts to everyone on your list, consider one more gift to yourself: a membership to a new association.
