Our name, AACE International, started from the job title “Cost Engineer.”  We offer guidance on topics such as cost estimating, cost forecasting, and cost performance. The Board of Directors and headquarters staff often get questions on the cost of AACE membership. Cost is woven into nearly everything we do. However, it is more important to consider the value of AACE rather than the cost.

The value provided by professional associations can broadly be described as value: to your profession, your organization, and to you personally. In turn, each level of value can be organized into the two core features of a professional association: building connections and professional development.

Building Connections

Sharing experiences and information with others in a similar line of work is the most common reason people join—and remain members of—professional associations. Operating in isolation, reinventing the wheel, and being unsure of the best course of action or common practices in an industry can be frustrating. Finding others who have faced the same challenges can be relieving. And having an established framework for continued communication can lift the weight of having to puzzle through a problem all by yourself.

Networking can benefit a profession by shedding light on common issues, providing a venue for ongoing discussions to establish best practices, and disseminating information that is either formally or informally peer reviewed.

Your company benefits because it acquires information that it might not otherwise have. Where else would your company find the collective thoughts and work of employees from different, perhaps even competing, organizations? Operations can be improved, and solutions found more quickly and easily by mining shared knowledge than by individual research.

You benefit because you can gain and contribute knowledge. Gaining knowledge accelerates your ability to perform, increase responsibility, and be considered for promotion. Contributing knowledge boosts self-confidence, provides experience you might not otherwise get, and earns you recognition.

Professional Development

Your career encompasses your home life, workplace, opportunities for advancement, and the actions taken to succeed. AACE membership supports your career path and benefits your organization as you develop skills and knowledge that extend your expertise.

AACE education, training, and certification make you, your company, and the industry better. Going above and beyond to get certified demonstrates knowledge and dedication to the profession. Many organizations choose a certified candidate over an uncertified candidate, even if it isn’t required for a position. The benefits to your organization are many. Having certified staff shows colleagues and clients that you are committed to excellence and interested in maintaining a high level of competency. A company demonstrates it has qualified people by properly training them through AACE’s high standards and subject matter experts.

AACE membership provides quantifiable value. AACE can provide its programs and services because of the passion, dedication, and involvement of many members and volunteers. The value AACE provides is clear, but what may be less obvious is the number of individuals needed to continue to develop, maintain, and enhance its offerings. The association welcomes your involvement! All that’s needed is for you to step forward.

In life, it is often true that “you reap what you sow” and AACE is no different. Consider volunteering today by clicking here!  You’ve got an instant community ready to support you and that is a solid place to start.

James E. Krebs, PE CCP

AACE International President, 2021-2022