Graduate Lounge - December 2005

The NERA Researcher
Vol. 43, Issue 4, p. 8
December 2005

The Graduate Lounge

Why Get Involved in Professional Organizations?

Asil Ali Özdoğru

We, today’s graduate students, are tomorrow’s scholars. In a fast-moving world, it is imperative for us to take necessary steps during our graduate studies in order to get ready for the life after school. The life after graduation will be a product of our efforts in graduate school.

These efforts go beyond the satisfaction of degree requirements. Although it is critical for us to meet our program requirements, this is not everything; there is more to it. As we progress through our programs, wise strategic thinking and planning will prepare us for life after-school.

The Fall 2005 newsletter of the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) Graduate Student Council has the theme of “How to prepare for professional life while in graduate school.” Council chair Diane Ketelhut numerates the ways to prepare as (1) teaching, (2) researching, (3) presenting, (4) publishing, (5) reviewing, and (6) getting involved.

Our future career plans will shape the nature and kind of steps that we should be taking in graduate school. However, Diane’s last method of preparation is valid for many kinds of career paths. Being affiliated with a professional organization brings numerous benefits for anyone whether in academia or a business setting.

As Mark Greer from American Psychological Association (APA) of Graduate Students has pointed out, involvement in a professional organization has its tangible benefits like career and professional development, and opportunities for funding and leadership. Through a network of colleagues under the umbrella of an organization, one can also get exposed to different perspectives in the field.

Professional organizations are places where one can practice various academic activities like reviewing manuscripts, presenting research studies, or even publishing in the organization’s publications. Through networking, one can get to know other people who might play crucial roles in one’s future life. It is not unlikely that another member of the same organization will become one’s future research partner, mentor, colleague, or boss. Relationships established within these professional organizations can therefore be guiding and defining for our careers.

While national professional organizations are rich in these opportunities, they may also be too broad to navigate. For example, in addition to its graduate student organization, APA has 55 divisions each focused on one particular field of psychology. One can easily feel rushed in the conventions of these national organizations, since there are so many papers being presented simultaneously that one might be interested in. Involvement in these organizations as a presenter, reviewer, or an author also can be more competitive because of the high number of professionals.

On the other hand, regional organizations, most of which are affiliates of these national organizations (like NERA to AERA), provide a select group of people from closer distances. Involvement in these regional organizations might not be as competitive as in their national counterparts. Regional conferences can be easier to enjoy and to participate in as a presenter or reviewer. One can form professional networks more easily and get prepared for national organizations.

NERA, in this sense, can be an optimal environment for us, graduate students, in terms of getting involved to practice and develop our career skills. There are plenty of opportunities to be involved and contribute to NERA as a graduate student, such as presenting our research, being a reviewer for proposals, and serving in the organization’s committees. NERA has a welcoming and student-friendly organizational climate where one can feel like being part of a community of professionals. In order to get prepared for life after school by building up skills and social networks, a graduate student in education or a related field can utilize the NERA experience by getting involved in it.


References
Greer, M. (2005, January). Connect through a division. GradPSYCH, 3(1). Retrieved on November 17, 2005 from http://gradpsych.apags.org/jan05/apadivisions.html
Ketelhut, D. J. (2005, Fall). How to prepare for professional life while in graduate school. AERA Graduate Student Council Newsletter, p. 1-2. Retrieved on November 22, 2005 from http://www.aera.net/uploadedFiles/Graduate_Students/Newsletters/Fall_2005.pdf

Asil is a doctoral student in the Division of Educational Psychology and Methodology in University at Albany and a student member of NERA for two years. He can be contacted by mail at ED233 School of Education, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222.