I’m always surprised when MSIS students tell me they haven’t joined an industry association like the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) or the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Trade groups are an excellent way to network and find jobs. I was a board member of the Honolulu AITP chapter for 3 years. The meetings are interesting, and the coconut job line is alive and well.
Student memberships in some of these groups are an excellent bargain. The ACM includes access to its digital library. It’s a great way to do a literature review without visiting a physical library. The ACM is a global organization, and its placement service lists jobs around the world.
Anyone who studies telecommunications and wants to stay in Hawaii needs to join the Hawaii Telecommunications Association (HTCA). This group holds a conference each October, and their monthly meetings are well attended by CXOs, managers and technologists.
10 Things recently published their own list of essential IT organizations, which provides some more groups.
Tags: career, cxo, Hawaii, Honolulu, job, MSIS, USA
