How Joining a Professional Society Can Benefit Your Career
Reflecting on my own professional journey, I realize now that my career really began in grad school, before I had ever held a job that had anything to do with geography or GIS. As a first-year geography grad student, I made the fateful decision to join the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and attended my first professional conference, the 2009 AAG Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.
The connections I made during the conference helped launch my career; shortly after the meeting, I received an email from a new contact I’d made about a job posting at the AAG. Fast forward fourteen years, and I’m still working here, collaborating with some of the leading geographers in the discipline on programs that strengthen the field.
My own entry-level opportunity certainly involved some luck and serendipity, but I know that it would not have happened if I had not put myself in the position of meeting and interacting with other like-minded colleagues. And even if I had not landed a job, I still would have joined AAG or another geospatial association as a means of keeping up with the latest happenings in the field.
Some of the benefits of joining a professional society include:
- Opportunities to learn more about your field
- Networking and collaboration
- Personal and professional growth
- Access to an international network of professionals engaged in similar professions
- Access to cutting edge research and industry information
- Support for creating change
Perhaps most importantly, professional societies allow for individuals with similar goals to join together in advancing collective causes that could not be achieved otherwise. This is especially encouraging for those of us whose work is the study—and we hope improvement—of the planet. From climate change to public health, social justice, protecting the environment, and myriad other causes, professional societies provide the framework for communities of professionals to band together, influence policy, take action and implement real change.
Fortunately for GIS students and geospatial professionals, there are many professional societies within our discipline and industry to choose from. Many of these offer reduced rates for students and young professionals.
Below is a list of some organizations that you might consider joining:
- American Association of Geographers. Professional association representing leading practitioners, researchers, and educators in geography. We represent geographers in all areas of practice and throughout the world.
- American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. Professional membership society for the fields of surveying, cartography, geodesy, geographic and land information systems, and other disciplines in the spatial data information industry.
- American Geophysical Union. Organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international fields within the Earth and space sciences.
- CaGIS. Organization focused on furthering new developments and theories in cartography and GIS.
- Geospatial Information and Technology Association. Dedicated to providing excellence in education and information exchange on the use and benefits of geospatial information and technology in telecommunications, infrastructure and utility applications worldwide.
- MAPPS. National association for private sector firms in the surveying spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. MAPPS mission is to “To promote the geospatial business and professionalism in its practice”.
- University Consortium for Geographic Information Science. Organization dedicated to advancing understanding of geographic processes and spatial relationships through improved theory, methods, technology, and data.
- Urban Regional Information Systems Association. Association of professionals using information technology to solve problems in planning, public works, the environment, emergency services, utilities and throughout state and local governments. URISA has a heavy GIS emphasis.
Whether you’re just beginning your career, in transition, or already an established professional, it’s best to think of your personal and professional growth over the span of a lifetime, transcending any one job. Regardless of your position, joining a professional society is a great way to invest in yourself!
For additional resources and support on how to stand out with confidence, sign up to attend one of AAG’s many Professional Development webinars dedicated to early career professionals. Register for our fall series HERE!
To learn more about AAG, visit our website.