When To Start Building A Lifeline
For many in our profession this holiday season is going to be a stressful time. The economy is taking its toll and some of our colleagues have already been laid-off while others are no doubt concerned what the New Year will bring. ACC can be a life line through connections you can develop with your ACC colleagues. However, as valuable as ACC can be; it is not the best time to start building a life line- you should have been doing that already.
Our local chapter had a winter social. NEO ACCA has energetic leadership and typically they have two social events a year. I must admit in the later years before my retirement I had not attended many of their events, in part because my travel schedule kept my out of town. However, since I began writing this blog, I have made an effort to attend these events and some of the local programming. It has been a great experience. I have met many people with varied interests beyond the law, and the food has been remarkable as well.
I asked the chapter administrator what percentage of the membership actively participated in the ACC activities. She said about ½. The other ½ she said would only show-up when they were in the job market. I have a couple of observations surrounding that fact. The first is that ACC connections can be a great resource of networking when you are looking for a job, but it can be a lot more effective if you build your relationships before you need to rely upon them. A strong personal acquaintance is a far better network connection than a passing contact. Second, actively participating in your chapter and the national organization is going to develop an invaluable group of acquaintances that will keep you connected to the profession and create opportunities even after you retire—you can take my word on that.
Finally, your ACC activities will help you develop and hone your legal skills, give you to access to abundant expertise and create life-long friendships. I got far more from my ACC activities than I ever gave and you will have created a life-line if you ever need it.
