Aviation Organizations

For my career path, it will definitely be important to join Aviation Organizations and Associations. I am not currently in any specific association, but I plan on doing it soon - when I have time and some money to invest in them and go to their meetings. One organization that I will definitely look into joining is the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). I have a couple friends who are currently in this association and they have told me how great their networking resources are, especially in administrative careers. I could really benefit from this one, but I need to be able to afford it first. Another association I am considering joining is the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Despite the fact that I am not a pilot, and certainly do not expect to own an aircraft anytime soon, I think joining the AOPA  would be very beneficial in the professional sense. Being that AOPA is the largest general aviation organization out there, I could easily network through it.

-The Mission of the NBAA is "To foster an environment that allows business aviation to thrive in the United States and around the world." More than 10,000 companies are represented by this organization. They provide more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community. This association has been around since 1947, which makes it very "experienced" compared to many other professional aviation organizations.

-The Mission of the AOPA is "We protect your freedom to fly by...advocating on behalf of our members, supporing activities that ensure the long-term health of General Aviation..." among many more. They generally want to protect the rights of pilots and other aviation professionals, especially when it comes to General Aviation. Just the fact that the AOPA has been around for so long shows their success and general 'know how' of the industry - which makes them a great organization to be a part of.

The greatest benefit, that I can see, from joining these organizations is the networking that can be done. Since these associations have so many members, there are people within the industry whom I really want to network with that are likely involved with at least one of these organizations. Having these on my resume can really help me when it comes to applying to industry jobs, as well. Especially if who I am being interviewed by is involved with one of these organizations, it could at least be a talking point during the interview.