Transitioning from a collegiate to a professional member of the Society of Women Engineers opens the door to an even broader network of support and growth. Here are recommendations for how to make the most of that transition.
Student standpoint
As a collegiate member of the University of Washington SWE Section, I’ve had the chance to connect with people I never would have met otherwise, whether that was through annual conferences, local events, or working groups. This strong sense of community is a key reason I plan to remain active in SWE after I graduate in 2026.
Staying involved in SWE after graduation can serve as a great professional tool. Membership provides access to a global community of women in STEM. You can identify a mentor in your field through the SWE Mentor Network, or from SWE’s 20-plus affinity groups, representing all career stages, interests, and backgrounds. Resources such as the online career center offer job postings and resume and interview tips, and the Advance Learning Center can help you further develop as an engineering professional.
SWE also offers a great financial incentive with its collegiate-to-career membership, which covers all collegiate years plus the first professional year for a flat fee of $50. That is a significant discount compared to the standard membership, which typically totals $180 for the same period of time.
Participation in SWE’s new working groups also enables members to branch out from their current field and contribute to initiatives beyond traditional engineering roles. These groups can foster leadership and collaboration skills that mirror real-world dynamics. As a SWE life member and chair of the SWE editorial working group, Nicole Woon endorses staying involved in SWE:
“As I’ve moved from city to city, job to job, and collegiate to professional, SWE has been my constant. Because of SWE, I’ve landed internships and full-time opportunities, expanded my skills personally and professionally, and made lifelong connections and friendships. I continue to grow from my SWE involvement each year and it’s deeply rewarding to give back to a community that I’ve gained so much from.”
— Alisha Bose
Professional perspective
I joined SWE as a collegiate member in 2005 while an undergraduate at Michigan Technological University. My collegiate section held biweekly meetings, so it was easy to find opportunities to get involved. I first participated as a member, but quickly stepped into leadership roles, holding several positions of increasing responsibility in the section until I graduated in December 2007.
The following August, I started graduate school on a campus that didn’t have a SWE section, and the SWE section for the university in which I was enrolled was hundreds of miles away.
SWE had been a wonderful community for me during my undergraduate years, and I wanted to stay involved in graduate school. SWE hadn’t yet launched its GradSWE program, so I reached out to the local professional section to get involved there. Unfortunately, that section at the time was minimally active, and I never got responses to my emails. In the end, I found and joined the Members At Large, or MAL, which was a strong community of women from across the country who live outside the boundaries of professional sections, or who simply are MALs by choice. Some engaged virtually, and members met in person during the annual conference. While every person’s membership journey and personal situation is distinct, joining the MALs worked well for me.
Some of the challenges members face when transitioning from a collegiate to a professional membership are time, money, and location. As a graduate student and as a professional, I worked a minimum of 40 hours a week, so I had much less time to give to organizations like SWE than when I was an undergrad. Membership dues also increase as a professional member. Although an early-career professional is likely earning much more money than they were as a student, it can feel like a financial strain to pay the increased membership dues.
Additionally, a local professional section might hold their meetings far from where you live. This contrasts with your collegiate SWE section, which typically met on campus, where you were already spending time attending classes and possibly living. Or as in my situation, a local professional section might not exist.
Other challenges might include a lack of awareness of opportunities in your area or scheduling conflicts. These factors can make it harder to have a successful transition from collegiate to professional.
But there are some ways around these challenges. You can request your employer cover your professional engineering society dues. If there isn’t a professional section nearby, you might find connection with SWE via an affinity group you’re passionate about, or you might charter a new professional section or join the MALs.
Despite the challenges I encountered, I continued to find SWE membership to be valuable in many ways. So much so that I became a life member in 2018.
SWE offers many opportunities to get involved after college. I eventually took on leadership positions with the MALs. I expanded my SWE network at the professional level and learned more and more about Society-level positions and leadership opportunities.
The keys to my success in finding a place in SWE included building a new SWE network and pursuing what I most enjoyed. I loved strategic leadership and communication, but maybe event planning or supporting an affinity group is best for you. If you have only a few hours to give a few times a year, consider serving as a scholarship or awards judge.
Diverse opportunities abound in this organization, so everyone can discover the best way to get involved during the transition from collegiate to professional SWE member.
-— Emily Ongstad
