Report from APA Philadelphia 4
It only take a few years in the “real world” to realize that it’s true. It often matters more who, rather than what, you know. After being deluged by MBA-speak, networking opportunities, and virtual communities, it may sound trite … but it’s true. And it’s especially true when one is pursuing an academic or professional degree in a new functional area (as am I) or refreshing/extending one’s knowledge base in an age in which one must be able to remake oneself multiple times during ones working life. With each new epaulet (a metaphor I came to appreciate after reading an interview with the late, great, and iconoclastic Richard Feynman), one must struggle to not land on “Go” when restarting one’s career. This is where personal contacts are especially helpful. Whereas HR departments through which one is accustomed to circulating one’s résumé are increasingly automated and hostile to non-traditional qualifications (e.g., multiple, diverse job experiences or career restarts), acquaintances in the biz are particularly attuned to the variety of skills and personalities necessary in successful public, private, or non-profit sector organizations. Through face-to-face encounters, these professionals are very often able to better assess your potential worth to their organization than can some pencil-pushing, HR functionary sitting at headquarters. Contacts made through these personal encounters can be valuable champions in your search for a better-than-average (if not perfect) position after graduation.
The student turnout here at the Philadelphia conference has been terrific. Of course, one would expect to see the area schools well-represented, and they are. However, it truly astonished me to learn that 16 (count them, s-i-x-t-e-e-n!) planning students from Texas A&M attended. What an amazing showing! (I’m sure that Dr. Bright had no little role in encouraging them to make the investment.) In general, you couldn’t swing a cat without hitting a student here!
I’d be remiss in this lament if I didn’t reiterate the oportunity cost incurred by planning students who don’t take advantage of this sort of opportunity. Yes, it’s a tad expensive, but so are life’s best lessons. And once you try one of these things, I think that you’ll be hooked. There’s just so much to learn in such a collegial environment, and there are so many interesting people to meet and with whom to talk about almost anything planning. Try it! You’ll like it!
