March 7th, 2010
Why join now?
By Holly Fisher
Having joined SPJ as a college sophomore, in many ways I feel like I’ve always been a SPJ member. It’s hard to remember a time when I wasn’t involved in SPJ – a student chapter, professional chapters, as a regional director or as a member of a committee.
I’ve been giving a great deal of thought about a message I want to send to colleagues and friends who aren’t members asking them to join. SPJ does many different things for many different people. Some may find it valuable for networking, others for training, some for the freelance job directory and still another group who believe strongly in the power of journalism.
All of those reasons are compelling, but I’m wondering what would make me join SPJ now if I had never been a member (or hadn’t been a member in a long time)? I’m curious to hear from new members about what prompted them to join now. And long-time members, what would make you join now?
March 7th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
I would recommend joining SPJ because it allows me to network with other soon-to-be journalists in the area. These connections are invaluable since often when you get a job, it is because of who you know and not so much what is on your resume. Also, I enjoy discussing news and the future of the industry with others who are soon to be joining it. It gives me a sense of camaraderie within my major and gets me more involved on campus.
March 7th, 2010 at 11:38 pm
Because now more than ever you need to network, find out what’s new and where the jobs are and what new you need to know to get those jobs.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
I recently joined because I have a better feel for the power of networking. I didn’t understand how important it was to network until soon after graduating, and I’ve had some great experiences meeting people once I got more active. I think SPJ can feed into that urge to meet and share ideas.
March 9th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Great feedback! Thank you! Networking is definitely a theme and a terrific aspect of SPJ membership. I know it’s been beneficial to me personally in my career path.
Would love some additional thoughts!