Professional Development
A Legacy of Professional Development
SWE’s professional development programming has evolved from technical presentations in the Society’s early years to a wide array of opportunities today, helping women thrive in diverse roles and work environments.
Explore SWE's Legacy Below
Support Our Legacy
In honor of our diamond anniversary, consider making a donation to the new SWE Legacy Endowed Scholarship this year in support of SWE’s ongoing mission. It can and will make all the difference.
Professional development activities in the 1950s and 1960s primarily featured technical talks at section meetings and the Society’s annual convention.
In its early decades, SWE helped its members find jobs in a field that did not always welcome them, from providing resume and interview advice to sharing job postings and engaging their networks to find amenable employers.
The Society co-hosted a series of conferences in the 1970s focused on workforce reentry, management, and upward mobility, and hosted its first leadership conference in 1980.
Professional development programming at SWE section events and annual conventions expanded in the 1970s to include career and leadership skills, which remain a strong focus today.
SWE expanded its professional development offerings in the 2000s to include webinars, podcasts, accredited continuing education units, and leadership retreats for women engineers in academia and industry.
