BCS - What it did for me in the year I was a member

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... actually, all it did for me was fill up my inbox. I see no reason to spend £100 per year of my own money and decided this year to not bother renewing my membership, unfortunately several months after my membership lapsed I am still getting emails from them but hey ho, that's what mailbox rules are for isn't it?

I know some people really like the BCS but... and the is me speaking personally, I really didn't find any benefit to having the membership. If someone obviously wants to educate me to what I am missing from the BCS then please do so but as I mentioned I have spent the last 12 months being a member and haven't felt the need or desire to for more. It's not helped me in my career (guys at the office are like, what?, who? when I mentioned the BCS) and it hasn't been any help with certifications so what exactly have I been missing (and as far as meetings go, I spend between 5 - 6 hours a day on a train so there is no chance of actually getting to any).

 

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I know what you mean about the emails, all I did was inquire and now get emails from them all the time!

I think one of the big things about BCS is the meetings and networking side of things but as you have to commute to Colchester everyday kind of takes the best part of the BCS membership out for you.

In the end I decided not to join as I don't think the benefits match the costs.

 

Love the idea of local user groups and workshops. Didn't work out for me as most of the ones I'd like to go to were in London. There were a few local ones but couldn't generally get there as they tend to be scheduled during the week for early evening and work commitments conflicted.

So yes have now tried both the BCS and the IET. All they really did for me was get me a metre high stack of unread magazines, which I then had to bin, so feel yes better I save the membership and save the environment !

 

Well unless you're CEng your're not chartered ?

 

Whilst work are paying I'll keep it, just another thing on the CV and a few potential employers have had it listed on their nice to have requirements.

But I've not got anything out of it really, have done some ISEB exams but would have done them anyway.

 

Totally agree. I didn't have the time to attend the meetings, and it was a waste of money to be perfectly honest.

Saying that though, I still have the certificate up on the wall at work. I'll apply for CITP when I hit the requirements in a few months but it's not really a big deal breaker. It's never been asked about or stated as a requirement for any job interviews / specs.

Perhaps in the future it will become more widely recognised and then it will be worth it, but as it stands I won't be renewing.

Qs

 

I've never seen CITP given any recognition, all the organisations that ask for chartered status seem to request CEng.

It doesn't matter how much BCS thinks CITP is important, if nobody else cares about it then its irrelevant.

 

Yes I've seen CITP mentioned as optional on Job specifications.

My point was that CEng can give you points towards immigrant working visas. Some places make CEng mandatory so without it you can't work. In some countries you can't even call yourself an engineer without CEng or an approved Masters degree. It can also count towards prior learning credit for masters courses.

None of these things seems to apply to the CITP.

Its not even clear my UK CITP would mean anything abroad. When I went to Australia they have the ACS and they seemed to have no knowledge of BCS membership or accreditation.

I can't justify 100 pounds per year just to maintain a title. Its like those gym memberships for people that don't go...

 

I don't personally make use of the BCS resources - of which there are many, or attend any functions. But I guess that's my fault that I don't get value for money.

However, I do feel that membership of the BCS does have value to organisations and customers as it represents a commitment to quality and standards. Or at least, it looks like it does...

 

I've been a member for just over a year now and apart from an inbox full of emails, and then odd magazine, I haven't got anything out of it.....yet....

I'm attending one of their central London meetings next Tuesday night - I've expressed an interest to one of the chairs of a committee in doing something, so I'll attend and see what its all about. At the moment I'm in Central London, but if my plans come to fruitition I'll be working out in Berkshire and I'm not sure how that will change it.

Something my girlfriend has found by being involved in Girl Guiding - you can be a Brownie leader or you can jump in head-first - her comment to me when I spoke to her about doing this: "You tend to get back what you put in".

I'm thinking: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"

 

What you said really. I was a member for a year but I didn't engage with any of the activities and couldn't really be bothered to read the magazine. I got out of it what I put in, which wasn't very much. On balance I decided it wasn't worth renewing my membership.

 

Whats wrong with the ACM and IET ?

 

Well in america I'd have thought the ACM was a bigger player and they seem to do more technical stuff in general. This forum is very support biased. The BCS is generally the least techy and most business focused.