I’ve been writing about the aspects of a lifelong university that only an association can provide professionals.
In this post, I want to highlight briefly two other aspects that make membership and engagement in a professional association critical for life-long learning as a professional. They are: a laboratory to practice your skills, and a platform from which to launch in building impact in society.
Simply asked, how does one develop knowledge, leadership, and persuasion/engagement skills necessary to advance as a professional? Simply answered: practice. You’ve heard the old saw, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Answer: “Practice, Practice, Practice!” An association, through leadership opportunities, committees, task forces, chapters, sections, etc., is designed to give you just that. When we are students in a university, we learn these skills through service clubs, volunteer opportunities, social/fraternal groups, and other intra and extramural activities.
An association provides an extension of those experiences. Through engagement you are able to make a difference, while learning and expanding your knowledge and skill set. You gain entry to those opportunities in a university by enrolling and paying tuition. You continue that work by engaging with your professional association. And, while engaging, participating, and even leading in your professional association does very good things for your chosen field, ultimately those experiences are preparing you to step beyond that sphere of influence and activity to impact the society for better.
How do you conceive of and experience engagement and membership in a professional association? Like any university, the aspirations we have exceed our current capacity. Robert Browning said, “A man’s reach must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” Have you decided to commit to the lifelong learning that only a professional association can offer? And are you willing to stay the course of continuous engagement and improvement, not only of yourself, but of the organization as well?
Executive Director's Toolkit 