Among other things, professional organizations provide opportunities for women engineers (and planners or “plangineers” like me) to expand their network and stay current on industry trends. I always encourage young professionals to join a highly regarded professional organization(s), noting that I guarantee through their active involvement they’ll meet someone or attend an event that will change the trajectory of their career in a positive way.

Join or start a student chapter for women in engineering at their university and try connecting with women established in a career that closely matches the area they’re interested in…who may have started out with that same hesitation! As a transportation planning consultant my entire career, in the late 90s there were no women engineers in the Roadway Design and Traffic groups where I started after graduate school. It’s a completely different landscape in this industry with many more women engineers, including in leadership roles. I’ve had the honor to work alongside some incredibly talented women engineers throughout my planning career!

Absolutely. Belonging to a professional organization allows you to stay in touch with individuals that you may not have the opportunity to see on a regular basis. Attending events keeps you in the loop of what’s going on in your profession and provides learning opportunities, both technical and professional. It also gives you the chance to really connect with individuals outside of work and get to know who they really are.