How to Make the Most of a Community
[Teepee Day Recap]
No matter where you are in your career journey, you’ll agree that it is really important to be part of a community. Being part of a community has many benefits including access to peers, mentors, opportunities, information, and professional support.
So what is a community?
According to Feverbee, a community is a group of people who engage with each other around a common interest.
At CAWSTEM, we believe every STEM woman has something to contribute and create a safe space in our community to cultivate meaningful connections. Every third Friday of the month, we come together to share and talk through ways to grow professionally and personally.
On Friday, 20th January 2023, we got together to talk about how to make the most of being a part of a community.
Here are some of our key takeaways from Teepee Day January 2023.
Benefits of being in a Community
Communities are made up of like-minded people who can relate to your struggles, understand your passion, support your dreams, and empower you with the tools and resources opportunities to reach your career goals. In essence, communities help you:
- Discover new opportunities, skills, passions.
- Network and diversify your network.
- Create opportunities for new collaborations and partnerships.
- Level your skills especially leadership and oral skills.
- Learn from others’ experience and skills ; Let others learn from you as well.
- Help you build your personal brand in a safe space.
- Makes career transition easier.
- Have access to unlimited job opportunities as well as mentorship.
- Personal growth; learning how to set boundaries, ask for help and support others.
- Help others move faster in their career ladder. and avoid mistakes through the journey.
- Inspire others to take risks and discover new career paths.
5 Tips to Make the Most out of a Community
Here are a few tips on how to make the most out of a community:
- Be intentional: Be intentional about your expectations of being part of a community. Don’t just coast and be another statistics on the community number. Know your why.
- Leverage opportunities: You’ll get access to opportunities, information, knowledge, training, scholarships, etc. Get out of your comfort zone and apply!
- Engage and Network: Attend events (career webinars, seminars, mentorship sessions). Show up for community programs. Connect, network, engage with other members virtually and physically. Be present, be visible.
- Ask for Help: Don’t be shy to ask for help. It’s the whole point of being part of a community
- Be helpful: Share ideas and opportunities. Give back as much as you want to get. See an opportunity to volunteer, donate your time to the community.
In the CAWSTEM community, you’ll find scientists, engineers, mathematicians, developers, designers, product managers, project managers, data enthusiasts, energy professionals and STEM professionals from different parts of the world.
