As the sun sets on the Golden West, some of y’all are getting back into the swing of school and some are still enjoying the fading summer sun. But fear not, this means a new start in SWE! To get into the back-to-school season, let’s talk about how to make the most of your SWE membership:
- Network! Network with SWE professionals from around the globe who can connect you to your next job, help you out when you’re relocating. For collegiate members, getting to know your section members can help you form study groups in class or be your next awesome project partner.
- Attend SWE Annual Conference which is happening October 13 – 15 in Chicago, IL. Get a chance to participate in professional development sessions, network (see number 1), apply for your dream job at the Career Fair and experience Chicago! Register before September 16 to get the early bird rates at we11.swe.org!
- Outreach. Giving back feels great and looks great (on your resume) too! Join an outreach program to encourage girls to pursue careers in engineering through SWE’s alliances. You’re making a positive impact on someone’s life; think about that.
- Tap into SWE’s Professional Development resources: develop leadership experience through leadership roles at the sectional, regional and society level. Present technical papers or posters at national and regional conferences. (This is valuable experience and practice if you’re thinking of pursuing a PhD in the future!) Lead seminars and workshops at national and regional conferences.
- Apply for Scholarships! The application for sophomores through graduate students is typically available December 1st through February 15th. For freshmen: March 1st through May 15th. Check swe.org under the “Scholarship” tab. The SWE Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to women admitted to accredited baccalaureate or graduate programs, in preparation for careers in engineering, engineering technology and computer science.
Hope this gets you all thinking about how to maximize your time in SWE and hope everyone has an awesome start to their semester/quarter! Feel free to leave comments on what type of posts you want to see next. Your post could be the next post, if you send SWE, women in engineering or engineering-related links or content to rcce-a@swe.org.
Posted by Kelsey on September 15, 2011 at 8:16 am
Great list! I especially agree with outreach, since it’s so vital to maintain the pipeline of women engineers entering the profession, and also it inspires us to keep going and stay curious about the world. Outreach is wonderful.
To add: for anyone going to Annual Conference, be sure to upload your resume online so companies can look you up now. Students from our section (Berkeley) are already getting interview offers, so it’s definitely a wise and helpful thing to do!
Posted by How To Write a Cover Letter! on December 1, 2011 at 11:00 am
Make sure that if you are “giving back,” that you are doing it out of love, and true concern. Whether or not something looks good on a resume, don’t do it just for that reason. Do it because you care. People can tell the difference between someone who does things for appearances, and out of true passion.