So you're an ACS Member, but what does that mean to you? Did you join the Society because you are committed to developing your potential as an IT professional?
Did you join the ACS because you want to get involved in industry issues, because you want to take advantage of the many benefits and discounts available through the ACS, or for some other reason?
Over the past few years, the Society has worked hard to improve the level and range of benefits available to our members.
We now offer the industry's most advanced and comprehensive Professional Development and Certification Programs, a number of Special Interest Groups, valuable opportunities for education, reskilling and networking, special discounts on home loans, insurance, travel and accommodation and much, much more.
But value for membership is not only about benefits for loyalty -- it is about having a professional voice that is listened to in decision-making areas of government and industry.
The ACS has worked hard to raise its profile within the industry and the political arena and provides regular input to Federal and State Ministers on relevant issues.
Senior Ministers are now attending ACS functions like SEARCC'98 and the ACS has played a significant role in encouraging the appointment of IT ministries in all states.
I intend to use my Presidency to build on the goodwill the broad industry and governments have towards the ACS, and to have the Society play an active role among relevant IT groups in Australia and the Southeast Asian region.
When you ask what the ACS can do for you, ask also what you from your position as an ACS member and man-ager, academic or consultant can do for the ACS and your peers -- its collective members. I would like you to consider doing one thing in the next couple of months: to include the requirement or desirability of ACS membership in any job advertisements you run.
I am not asking you to fund an advertising campaign for the ACS. As an ACS member, you collectively fund the Society. I simply want you to leverage your investment. If you are advertising a professional position, include in the selection criteria the need for ACS membership.
Almost half of the Society's members hold management or project management positions. If you all took part in this exercise, you could make a difference to how ACS membership is viewed within the industry, and you could also save your firm money. The ACS goes to great pains verifying a person's qualifications, establishing their experience in the industry and seeking references before granting them membership.
By asking for ACS membership from job applicants, you save your firm the trouble and the expense.
I am not asking you to trust ACS membership blindly, but to consider using the free aid that is there for you.
You can only benefit from such a move.