Just a few days ago I received confirmation that I was approved for membership in the Center for the Advancement of the Enterprise Architecture Profession (CAEAP). Along with the confirmation was an invitation to participate in a variety of different volunteering opportunities. I readily responded back that I was eager to help in whatever way I could.
In my opinion, volunteering should be a key building block in any IT practitioner's toolkit, regardless of whether they want to become an enterprise architect, a developer, a project manager or a Chief Information Officer.
Recently I have seen numerous articles on LinkedIn regarding the need for those searching for work (and even those currently employed) to be cultivating their social media brands and expanding their professional networks. Many articles suggest that IT professionals need to have blogs, examples of their work available for review on portals such as GitHub, and be leveraging online networking contacts for referrals as the traditional job posting / resume / interview process was destined for the dustbin.
While these may be valid methods of advancing one's career, I have noticed that two key methods, volunteering and mentoring, are noticeably absent. Perhaps its because they are traditional (and thus out of favour), or because it takes a larger commitment. Whatever the reason, while they may not directly contribute to advancing a career (i.e getting a job), they do provide mechanisms for building fundamental skills in your chosen career field, which is ultimately is required to successfully launch a career or take that next big step.
Volunteering and mentoring (which I plan to discuss in a future post) have been for me two of the four cornerstones of career development (the other two being on-the-job experience and education / training). Not only does volunteering help develop new skills, it also has the benefit of indirectly building a professional network and also giving back to your profession.
I can not emphasize enough the importance of giving back enough.
The reality is that in my career and yours, many colleagues and like-mind professionals have taken time to help us (formally and informally), and as a beneficiary of that help, it is imperative that we continue that tradition, to help others as they strive to develop their careers.
I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to volunteer with the CAEAP. When I do hear back from them, I'll detail in a future post what my involvement will be.
I was recently directed to the CAEAP (Center for the Advancement of the Enterprise Architecture Profession) web site by a fellow group member on the TOGAF for Architecture group on LinkedIn.
It is a fantastic site for up and coming enterprise architects. The CAEAP has a number of goals including the advocacy of enterprise architecture and also the promotion of ethics within the enterprise architecture discipline. To join as a volunteer member of CAEAP you need to sign the Enterprise Architect Professional Oath and also sign the Enterprise Architect Professional Doctrine.
Not only does it provide ethical guidelines to follow as a member of the enterprise architect community, but also advocates mentoring and other forms of professional giveback which I wholeheartedly endorse. Some of the benefits to be reaped include the aforementioned mentoring, as well as volunteering experience opportunities and networking.
I highly recommend checking out the CAEAP web site (and becoming a member). I just joined as a member, and as I learn more about the CAEAP, I will discuss it in future blogs.
