“But my employer won’t pay for it!”
Why CAPPA membership is good for your career

By Lise Stransky, CCDP
Senior Associate, Employment Initiatives, CAPPA

The renewal date for CAPPA Annual Membership is Wednesday July 1st. By the time you are reading this, the renewal date is most likely…TOMORROW!

In this current economic downturn, many employers are looking for ways to reduce costs. Many have laid off staff, cancelled projects, and eliminated professional development. Once upon a time, your employer may have paid for your CAPPA membership and professional development luncheons/events. In this climate, many employers have eliminated this line item.

Not only is this a pitch to renew your membership, but it’s an article about how membership benefits your career. Let’s face it…YOU are in charge of your career, not your employer. And for a little over $10 a month (less than that if you are a student or new grad), you are a part of a professional association, and are demonstrating that you are managing and developing your career.

I get it. Now that I am self-employed, I look very carefully at the value that I’m getting from my professional memberships. Now that the money comes out of my pocket, instead of my employers, I’m a little more critical about the value that I get. Similar to production accountants currently, I don’t work in a regulated profession, so it is not mandatory that I have these memberships and professional certifications. So why bother?

Let’s consider the tangible reasons first. (Some of which are also known as “Discounts”.)

  • You receive discounts on relevant professional development, delivered at luncheons, seminars and conferences. This allows you to update and enhance your skills, keeps you current, and most importantly, marketable if and when you are in job search mode.
  • As a CAPPA member, you also get discounts with our affinity programs – Johnson Insurance for Home and Auto, CAREERS THAT WORK FOR YOU, Car2go. And we are continuing our efforts to bring new benefit partners on board.

Now to consider some of the other benefits of membership:

  • It’s an exciting time for the future of CAPPA. The Board of Directors have voted to begin the journey to apply for Self-Regulation with the Government of Alberta. Want a say? Members have the opportunity to give a vote of endorsement. This affects your career. This affects your industry. This affects your profession, and the future paths of production accountants.
  • You have exclusive access to the membership roster.
  • You have exclusive access to the CAPPA job board.
  • You have exclusive access to Salary Surveys, Enhanced Production Audit Program (EPAP) Information and materials from CAPPA presentations.
  • With a CAPPA membership, you demonstrate to your current and future employer that you are committed to your profession and engaged as a member.
  • You have opportunities to volunteer. Translation – you can meet other professionals, expand your network, and add volunteering experience to your resume. In a city like Calgary, it is critical to have volunteer experience.
  • But most importantly, membership in CAPPA gives you the tools to continue building your career.

For myself, no longer is my professional association membership simply a certificate on the wall in my office. It is a tool I leverage for my career management. It is a tool I use to keep current in my industry. I access the discounts available to me, utilize professional development opportunities, market my membership on my LinkedIn profile and resume, and I make sure I network with other professionals. In my opinion, that is good value for my career management dollar. So too for CAPPA members; if you use your membership for everything it has to offer, it’s good value for your career management dollar too.

Click here to renew your membership today