Topic 11: Aviation Organizations: Who to Join and Why

In any career path, it is important to network with people in the industry and stay up-to-date with current advancements. Aviation is no exception, in fact, it may be more important since it is such a small and quickly advancing field. Professional organizations are a great way to meet other people that share common interests and to keep up with important events and information specific to your career path. Here is a nice list of professional aviation organizations put together by Embry-Riddle (Embry, 2013).

As a senior that is going to graduate in three weeks, a lot of thoughts about my future and where I want to end up have been flowing through my head. Finding a job that I am going to like, and thrive in, is very important to me. After searching online through google and not having a lot of luck, I remembered one of my professors mentioning that many professional organizations have job postings and are great to help you see what is out there and available. The organization that he was a part of and specifically told us about was the American Association of Airport Executives, or the AAAE. Each week he would print out the email newsletter that they sent him with current news and jobs postings in it. That email newsletter alone had a lot of great information in it, and it is only one small benefit of being a member. After many wasted hours with no luck of finding a job online, I decided that joining the AAAE would be a good idea.

The AAAE membership offers many benefits beyond just helping someone like me find a job. The membership includes subscriptions to Airport Magazine and Airport Report Today, which are two key industry information sources. These two subscriptions provide information on the latest news and developments in the airport industry as well as classified ads, job postings and more. The membership also allows the user access to the AAAE membership directory, which contains a complete list of all of the organizations members and their contact information allowing ample networking opportunities. Access to many technical reports, accreditation papers and other airport publications is also included. The AAAE hosts over 80 meetings, seminars and workshops all over the world each year, and members receive reduced registration fees and updates about the events. Professional development opportunities are also provided to members who seek to advance their career to the next level (AAAE, 2013). As you can see, there are many benefits to joining the AAAE. I was able to join this organization for only $40/year, which I thought was incredible.

I am currently only a member of one professional organization, and am content with that right now. While I was still training to be a pilot and going to school for flight, I was a member of another professional organization called the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA). This organization is great for people who own an airplane or who are pilots, as well as anyone who is interested in aviation in my opinion.

AOPA's membership fee is very reasonable and offers many great benefits. AOPA strongly fights to protect general aviation, pilots' rights, user fees, airport closings, etc. Anything that threatens someones right to fly, they will fight against. The membership allows you to choose to receive one monthly magazine, either Flight Training or AOPA Pilot, both include many hot safety topics and tips for pilots along with some current news. An aviation specialist hotline is available for members to call with any questions they may have. Access to AOPA's website offers pilots many flight planning tools and other services. There are a variety of safety courses and seminars that are available online, or in-person, through AOPA (AOPA, 2013).

The direct benefits that professional organizations give to you and allow you to use are great in themselves, but the benefits do not end there. Being a part of a professional organization is a great thing to put on a resume and shows your current, or future, employers that you are dedicated to the industry. Being part of an organization may be what sets you apart from all of the other applicants, and that alone would be worth the annual fee. All of the knowledge that you can learn from the websites and publications will only help you to advance to whatever you want to do (Cherwin, n.d.).

If you are like me, having many people tell you how important it is to join a professional organization and to be part of something may not be enough to actually make you join. It may take hours of wasted time searching for jobs, or the realization that you do not know anyone in the field of work that you are going into. Whatever it takes, at some point you will realize that joining a professional organization will benefit you in many ways and is completely worth the price.




References

AAAE. (2013). Membership benefits. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from, http://aaae.org/membersh ip/membership_benefits/

AOPA. (2013). Member benefits. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from, http://www.aopa.org/join/benefi ts.html

Cherwin, K. (n.d.). Why join a professional association? Retrieved April 8, 2013, from, http://ww w.higheredjobs.com/articles/articleDisplay.cfm?ID=157

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. (2013). Professional organizations. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from, http://careers.erau.edu/find-job/networking/professional-organizations/index.html