The Mid-Career Professionals Affinity Group (AG) was founded in 2022 to bridge the gap between the already established Early Career Professionals and Late Career and Retiree AGs for members in the 10- to 25-year range of career experience.
This AG serves individuals who are:
- making transitions from individual contributor to a manager of people,
- seeking career growth to director and VP levels,
- climbing technical discipline ladders,
- pursuing the hybrid career path (leadership in a technical role),
- changing employers after an established career,
- pushing up the ladder and are now seeking to slow down,
- taking career breaks,
- or re-entering the workforce.
The Mid-Career Professionals AG supports the growth of SWE programming for those who are established in their career journey and looking for new ways to excel and adapt to changing times. Recognizing that the Mid-Career Professional AG members are often overcommitted at work, at home, and in volunteering for their community, this AG provides a venue to stay connected with SWE with minimal commitment, travel, etc., by connecting its members via virtual settings and in person at SWE conferences.
AG members can participate in any of the quarterly online events that include topics such as book review discussions, networking meetups, open mentoring sessions, and speaker and/or panel discussions on relevant topics that can be found on either the group’s Facebook or LinkedIn pages.
The Mid-Career Professionals AG also has in-person networking events at all SWE conferences with many of our members submitting plans to present at various breakout sessions. If you’re interested in participating in breakout sessions, WE Local events, held in numerous locations throughout the year, are great for new breakout sessions and ideas. The most popular breakout sessions are then prepared for the global SWE conference. Individuals interested in submitting for future conference breakout sessions should look for the notifications, including deadlines, in the fall (August-October timeframe) for WE Local events and notifications and deadlines in the winter/early spring (January-March timeframe) for SWE’s annual conference.
Many of the Mid-Career Professionals also participate in the SWE Mentor Network where members can connect with other mentors, mentor other SWE members, and receive mentoring support themselves. Mentors on the SWE Mentor Network can easily set their calendar availability for mentoring and select mentoring topics that best fit with their areas of expertise. Mentees can then request a session with an open mentor that best fits with their topic(s) of interest. Peer-to-peer networking/mentoring is also very useful in this program. The program offers Mid-Career Professionals AG members a safe space to freely talk about issues in the workplace and navigate career transitions.
The Mid-Career Professionals Affinity Group is an easy way to get involved with fellow professional SWE members. The group supports the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B) strategic goals of SWE and includes SWE’s framework for building community, professional development, and member empowerment.
For more information on the SWE Mid-Career Professionals Affinity Group, you can join us on either the group Facebook or LinkedIn. Opt into the group email list by logging into your member portal and updating your Communication Preferences.
