Around this time each year, we see articles in the media that feature ‘new year, new start’ motivational messages. Chief amongst those new starts are often careers. It’s a time when many people assess their current and future roles, and academics and researchers are no different. Our annual survey of the members of practitioner and professional societies shows that whether it’s new or improved certification, a more ethically-focused role, or just improving their skills, their careers are a priority in the minds of professionals too.

The importance of certification

With 59% of respondents saying that they either hold or are working towards certification, this is central to the experience of society membership. This is especially true for more than 60% of respondents who work in hospitals, in a medical setting or in hard sciences. Plus, just over half told us that it’s important for them to be able to access training and certification services via their society. The same holds true for training. Only 14% of professionals don’t require training, but for those in hospitals and the medical profession more than 70% say it’s usually mandatory.

Making the most of your career

The appeal of joining a society is often the opportunity to meet with other like-minded members, but for professionals and practitioners, the opportunity to improve their careers is also a major driver. For some, it’s access to career development resources (32%) and for others, it’s support for their educational advancement (33%). For many, it’s simply a requirement of their job (20%).

With concerns regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) continuing to rise for both academics and professionals it’s significant that a third of our respondents join a society to be involved in career-related DE&I initiatives.

More work to do

There are many excellent reasons for joining a society, not the least of which is the positive effect it can have on your career. However, our survey also highlights an important lesson society leaders should pay special attention to. Although a quarter of professionals renew their society membership to boost their career and 40% join multiple societies to access additional training opportunities, not everyone is having these needs met. For example, of the 12% who left a society in the past 12 months over a third left for career or training reasons, such as a lack of support for career advancement or a lack of certification opportunities.

When it comes to the career support societies offer their members, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Only 9% of respondents felt their society’s career service was right for them. But of those who did participate, 81% love it and value the learning and development tools they were given. The key for societies will be finding the services that are helpful to the largest number of their members as we go forward. 

There’s little doubt that support for careers is valued by members, but it seems the service they receive isn’t meeting all their needs. So, this year, the challenge for society leaders is to provide universal career support – certification, inclusivity, training, and all. Your members will thank you for it.

Dr. Jonathan Roscoe