Association Leadership - May/June 2008 - (Page 13)

association-based career now what?Õ IÕm at the age where I have many, many working years ahead of me many and IÕm not independently wealthy and canÕt afford to retire. ÒSo we started a conversation more about where we both wanted to live at this stage, and we decided to target a search in Austin. I didnÕt target the association world, but ultimately the association world presented itself. It was a very intriguing opportunity then and now one that IÕm very, very pleased with.Ó As a UT undergraduate, McCausland was certainly familiar with the Texas Exes, and when he heard the group was looking for a COO, he felt his skills would be a great Þt, though he had no experience in the non-proÞt world. ÒI always say,Ó he said, Òthat I have worked for non-proÞts in the past, it just wasnÕt by design.Ó McCausland points to ways in which the worlds are very different. On the very positive side, he found his new career to be Òmuch more rewarding and fulÞlling. Before I was in the software world, and it basically was a widget kind of product or service. Now, weÕre a member-based organization and I really work on behalf of the students and the volunteers. Not that thereÕs anything wrong with the traditional business environment Ð IÕm very proud of my 23 years there Ð but this now is so much more fulÞlling to me.Ó On the ßip side, adjusting to a different level of compensation did take some getting used to. McCausland is quick to say, though, that he is fairly compensated for his work, itÕs just the bar is lower than it once was. Another aspect to life at a non-proÞt thatÕs been a big change, positively, is the dynamic nature of the day to day. a Profession “With association work, I’ve had the opportunity to experience many different areas that I would not have been able to in the private sector. In the corporate world, sometimes you are spread so thin, you don’t have the option to hone one skill beyond necessity.” Emily Brown Manager, meetings/member relations Texas Healthcare Trustees ÒIÕm thoroughly enjoying the variety of things IÕm involved in,Ó he said, Òwhether itÕs working on developing a retirement community, or bringing in a high school teacher for an awards conference, or hosting 8,000 of our closest friends on football days. And I think most associations are like that, because we donÕt typically have excess staff and yet thereÕre all these things that need to be accomplished.Ó For McCausland, this variety is part of the spice of the job, but he does acknowledge association leadership might be a tough Þt for some. He offers this advice to anyone considering such a mid-career switch: ÒYou really want to have a job that at the end of the day, instead of looking at your watch and saying, Ôoh great, time to go home,Õ instead you look at your watch and say, Ôdarn it, I wish it was noon, IÕve got so much more I wanted to accomplish.Õ ÒTypically, when people think of making a career change after doing something for 20 years, they go out and look for the same thing. But just because you donÕt have experience in the non-proÞt world, it doesnÕt mean you wouldnÕt be a good Þt Ð skills are transferable. Take a look, expand your scope. Choose something that lets you look back and say, Ôwow, I really made a difference.ÕÓ A Natural Transition Finding a place to gain skills needed in the corporate world is another tried-and-true path toward association employment. In Emily BrownÕs case, however, she took the opposite entrŽe Ð she had the corporate event-planning job at a large hotel when she decided to switch to event planning for a non-proÞt. Six years after reversing course, she is very happy as manager for meetings and member relations for the Texas Healthcare Trustees. Why? For Brown, it was all about opportunity. ÒI would say the biggest difference May/June 2008 | Association LEADERSHIP 13

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Association Leadership - May/June 2008

Association Leadership - May/June 2008 Contents President’s Column Homepage 60-Second Solutions Cover Feature: Associations As a Profession Positivity: Key to Retaining Young Talent Perspectives Association Case Study TSAE Annual Conference TSAE's Newest CAEs New Members Community Spotlight Grand Membership Campaign Committee Thank-yous Austin Dallas/Fort Worth Index to Advertisers Advertiser.com The Lighter Side of Associations- New Feature

Association Leadership - May/June 2008

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