Context - My Current Plan

Take it for granted that I've done more than that first event previously mentioned. Enough so, that I'm serious about making this a career. And that's part of what this blog is about; how i'm getting from 'here' to 'there'.

So the question tonight is "How?".

I'm currently a student in the School of New Learning at DePaul University. It's a non-traditional program for non-traditional students. Founded on the premise that adults have different experiences and priorities than teenagers entering college, SNL flips some portions of traditional education on it's ear.

For starters, they provide a mechanism for adults to prove that they have earned college level learning for real life experience. Further, most degrees are designed by the student with approval from advisors from the academic and professional spheres. An academic advisor ensures that the degree meets rigorous academic standards. The professional advisor certifies the relavence of the degree in the real world.

Researching exactly how I want to design my degree hasn't been easy. I did a quick survey of what several different schools include as part of their curriculums. It gave me a general guildeline, but left me with more questions. Since then, I've been going through all the schools listed by MPI that offer courses in meeting planning. (Only about 20% of them have a certification, minor or degree in meeting planning.) My goal is to see what all the programs have in common (meeting planning fundamentals) and what some programs have in common (meeting planning specializations).

Of course, at some point, I'm going to have to present my degree design to my academic committee. For that to happen I'll need to choose a professional advisor or mentor. That search has been made much easier by the wonderful people on the Google groups related to meeting planning. Joining the MiForum and MeCo groups have connected me to a wealth of information and perspective that seem bottomless.

Given the amount of help I've received from these online communities I've decided that joining MPI and other professional organizations is critical to my growth. I think one thing that I see missing from other degrees is some kind of connection to the profession as a whole. In fact, I'm considering building into my degree a requirement that I join MPI and contribute in some manner. The contribution requirement would prevent me from being a wall flower and force me to make the connections that are critical for a sustained career.

Another avenue of growth I'm currently embarked upon is an internship. It's a good way to get some experience to put on my resume. I'm always afraid that my experience for a student organization is devalued because it's not... corporate. Also, I get a chance to see how people do planning in a sustained environment. I had to invent the wheel while working by myself; this internship is a chance to compare the two experiences. It's another thing I plan on building into my degree.

That's my plan right now. Think it'll help me become a meetings professional?