Attachment instructions and guidelines

Professional Networking

Networking is an important vehicle for knowledge sharing and to stay abreast of news and trends about the IT industry. Professional networking can occur both online and offline. Networks such as LinkedIn and InsideTech are free services that make it easy to connect online. Offline, there are quite a few organizations whose sole purpose is to facilitate networking for IT professionals such as myself. With so many options available, how does one choose which networks will provide the most bang for the buck? This paper will address the benefits of joining a professional networking organization within my industry vs. using free networking tools such as LinkedIn. I will also explore the value in joining membership-based professional networks and provide my opinion on whether or not the benefits exceed the costs.

The table below illustrates the various networking groups and how they stack up based on my selected criteria. I am looking to have access to professionals in my field, knowledge sharing opportunities, job board, I would like student membership pricing as well as access to local in-person networking events. The below table indicates the availability of each criteria, following the table is a discussion of each group and the benefit it can provide to me.

Criteria/Network

AITP

ACM

NPA

Tech America

LinkedIn

InsideTech

Access to professionals in my field

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Knowledge sharing opportunities

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Some

Yes

Job Board

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Student Membership Pricing Available?

Yes - $30

Yes

No (community membership is free)

No

N/A

N/A

Local networking events?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Unsure

Some

No

Learning opportunities

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Some

The success and benefits reaped from joining a networking organization is largely dependent upon what I choose to put into getting the results I am in search of. More specifically, I believe there are benefits to be had from any of these professional networks, but these benefits are reserved for proactive individuals looking to take full advantage of the opportunities available. My strategy is to leverage free social networking sites such as LinkedIn and InsideTech to the fullest extent possible and choose one or two organizations that offer the maximum benefits based on the criteria above to fully take advantage of professional networking opportunities available.

There is no direct correlation between paying for a membership in a professional organization and reaping the benefits provided, as stated above I would have to be proactive to reap the benefits available. Does paying for a membership in any of these organizations provide me with more benefits? Yes, it can. Some of the membership-based organizations do provide opportunities that if leveraged properly could prove beneficial to my career. My time would be best spent with organizations that have a chapter local to me as it is usual for perspective members to be able to attend one networking event at no cost.