Exposure: The other thing is that a professional body(s) itself enables you to get connected to various people from the globe and exposes you to various experiences and cultures. You become exposed to various aspects of your career and life in general.
Continuous Learning: When you talk about continuous learning, professional bodies are the key source, why so? it is because, professional associations usually organize trainings, learning events, and share with you timely industry specific resources that can help you as you navigate through your career day-to-day tasks, job practice areas that are relatable to work assignments for example; the journals they publish, the e-newsletters, videos, podcasts, blogs, programs, press releases, changes in industry content, latest insights, changes in frameworks and standards etc.
Leadership opportunities: To be honest, you may not make it to a senior leadership position of your organization regardless of how many years you have been there or skilled you are but through the professional bodies, network or association, you can serve on the committees and board leadership, an opportunity that will enable you to grow and improve on your leadership skills, and expand career aspirations, . These are avenues for access to great leaders, becoming a leader, and learning from others’ leadership styles.
Friendships: If you are an introvert like most people, you will realize that its not always easy to create friendships and long lasting professional friends however, through professional associations, its easier to keep in touch with your networks since you are likely to meet them quite often during the professional events, and these can eventually become life long friends. There are people whom I became friends through the professional communities that I have membership with that I can confidently refer to as family or my tribe. Some are my mentors, others are mentees, coaches, cheerleaders, accountability partners, friends etc.
Career game-changer: For the majority of the people who belonged or still belong to a professional body will definitely admit that if not for joining a particular body, their career would not have turned out to be the way it unveiled i.e. growth, and advancement.
Global recognition: I have been nominated for various local and Global awards purposely because, I actively participate in activities of the professional bodies that am affiliated with. Relatedly, I travel often to different regions and guess what, there is no region I have been too and I don’t bump into someone who knows me at the airports, at events, or in a restaurant etc. or someone can easily recognize you because they have maybe seen you with someone whom they know or seen you speak at one of the local or global events within the professional association or they are members of the professional bodies that I am affiliated with.
Opportunity to earn CPE or CPD hours for your professional certification: participating in activities that professional bodies avail to you is an opportunity for you participate and earn CPE hours that will help you maintain your certification(s)
There are many other values you can get from being affiliated with a professional body, join one or two and tell me the impact it may have on your career growth, if already in one, feel free to share your experiences in the comment section below.
Here is one of the previously published blogs on professional engagement.
