Attending professional conferences is one of my favorite things about working in the field of student affairs. It is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues across the street, state, or country on topics and issues of interest, to share similar experiences, and to build new skills to develop ourselves and our students.
My first professional position out of graduate school was as the Internship Coordinator for University Career Services at UNC Chapel Hill. While I was one of many career counselors on the team, I was the only person at the time that was specifically focused on internships. A few months after I started, my supervisor told me I was going to attend a conference called the National Society of Experiential Education… an association and conference I had never heard of before. I was a bit skeptical at first but I quickly found myself surrounded by people who ALL worked with internships! It was exciting to meet new colleagues, share experiences, and leave with a new understanding and appreciation of the work I did every day. Ten years later, those folks I met are still some of my ‘go-to’ people on issues related to internships and experiential learning.
I share that story to say that there are so many different professional association and conference options available in student affairs and higher education. Explore different opportunities and don’t be afraid to branch out and try things outside of the ordinary! Regardless of where in the field you end up, you will find an association ‘home’ that is a great fit.
With the NASPA and ACPA conference and job search season quickly approaching, I wanted to share a few pieces of advice that may help you be more prepared, more engaged, and more excited about heading to New Orleans or Tampa in a few weeks!
Step outside of your comfort zone. This obviously means different things to different people, and only you can decide how to approach it… but I highly encourage you to do it! Attend a reception, introduce yourself to someone who works at an institution you’re applying to, or simply ask a question during a session. Sure, putting yourself out there can be scary, but you’re attending the conference for a reason, right?!
Learn something… One of the most valuable aspects of conference attendance is all of the great sessions, workshops, posters, and roundtable discussions that are on the program schedule. Attend some sessions that are practical and will be helpful in your current assistantship/internship/job. Also make sure to go to a couple of sessions that are related to topics you are interested in but don’t get to explore as often, or are related to the type of work you hope to be doing in the future.
…And teach something! If you submitted a proposal and were accepted to present at a conference – congratulations! It is a wonderful opportunity to share information about your research, a new program, assessment results, etc. with others in the field. Even if you are not on the official program schedule, there are still many ways to share your knowledge with other conference participants. Ask questions, share your opinion, join conversations, start a new discussion, and engage in social media dialogue. Every single person at the conference has information and experience to share… start now!
Connect, connect, connect. Since our field is so mobile, it is nice to have an annual excuse built in to catch up with old classmates, faculty, and colleagues. Grab coffee, meet at sessions, and definitely plan ahead with some of those hard to reach people! Make sure you take time to meet some new people too. The person sitting next to you in a session might end up as a future coworker or research collaborator. You might even bump in to your future best friend.
And finally… dress the part and practice your “elevator speech”: it is possible you might actually end up in the elevator with someone new! Sign up to volunteer for a shift or two. Attend the social functions that are planned. Explore the city. And most of all, have fun!
Dr. Amanda Williams is a 2013 graduate of the Educational Research and Policy Analysis doctoral program. She currently serves as the Director of Career and Academic Advising in the College of Design at NC State University.