the Cost of Professional Memberships and Organizations

The cost covered the annual membership dues for a national professional engineering society.

The organization, among other things, publishes a professional journal and a peer reviewed research journal as well as sets up mentoring programs and internships for engineering students.

The organization's quarterly journals are also available by subscription, prices vary depending on the duration of the subscription.

It has served me well over the years. I've been able to keep track of colleagues' work, find interns for summer projects, and locate potential employees. And the professional organization certainly puts out journals that are worth paying for.

But they're not a certifying organization. Membership says simply that at some point you received a degree in a technical field, it doesn't speak to the quality of your work or your professional competence. The initials of such an organization after a name tends to signify someone who either mistook the organization for a certifying body or someone who couldn't get a certifying body to credential them.

For the sake of networking, joining a professional organization is almost a necessity. It certainly can have a fair number of benefits including keeping your contact information available to potential employers. The journals are really the most useful thing, though, as they give members a place to publish their research and everyone else an opportunity to keep abreast on developments in the industry.