If someone asked me for career advice, the first thing I would recommend is to join a professional association. No other opportunity presents the same chance to network, learn, mentor and grow. For me, when I first started out, I joined IABC/BC and it was a turning point in my career.

IABC/BC is the BC chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. I first learned about the organization when I was between jobs and trying to decide upon a career. Everything I was interested in and enjoyed seemed to fall into the communications category, but I had no real sense of what experience I had that was relevant. I made a cold call to a random person at a company I was interested in. She said she wouldn’t answer my questions on the phone, but that there was a networking function that night. If I went, she assured me, there would be plenty of people able to offer guidance.

I went.

Stepping into that room was certainly stepping out of my comfort zone. But I marched in, placed a smile on my face, and made a mental game of seeing how many hands I could shake. What really struck home that night was two things — the diverse job opportunities in the field and how just how friendly and open everyone was. For the next few years I became an active volunteer, connected with a number of women who provided really great advice and I pushed myself to learn as much as I could.

Being a member of IABC impressed my future employer and the experiences combined with the advice of my mentors opened doors for me.

If I had one piece of advice to give, regardless of the stage of your career, it would be to find an association such as IABC that fits your interests. As cheesy as it sounds, there really is a world of possibilities that it could open.