Happy Holidays to aea365 readers! I’m Sheila B Robinson, aea365’s Lead Curator and sometimes Saturday contributor. Whether or not you celebrate some of the many upcoming holidays, let’s talk about YOU and the importance of treating yourself.
OK, perhaps I’m being a bit sneaky here because this is really a post about the benefits of becoming an AEA member. I stumbled across an article entitled, Tips for Treating Yourself Over the Holidays Without Feeling Guilty just as I was thinking about the many benefits of AEA membership, and the two just seemed to work together.
Each year, I speak directly to those readers who are not yet members, or perhaps those on the fence about renewing their AEA memberships. Here are the tips from the article, as…
…Lessons Learned:
1.) Invest in Long-Wanted, Long-Lasting Necessities
The learning available in AEA members-only content is a necessity. Whenever I embark on a new project, or just feel I need to brush up on or learn a new skill, I comb through our website looking for Coffee Break Webinars I may have missed or upcoming eStudies that might be of interest.
2.) Conduct a Confidence Makeover
Do you still grapple with remnants of shyness and confidence for public speaking? Giving conference presentations is an excellent “workout” for building confidence, as are the conversations about our work and networking opportunities with other evaluators at the annual conference. AEA membership offers discounted conference registration rates.
3.) Reward Yourself with a Treat
One of my favorite treats is a new shiny book! Yes, I’m one of those people who deeply appreciates all that technology offers, but who still loves the feel of paper when it comes to books. AEA members receive 20% off on the majority of publications when ordered directly from our publishing partners – Corwin Press, Guilford Publications, Lyceum Books, SAGE, Jossey Bass and Wiley.
4.) Relax for the Greater Good
One way to relax is to have fun and interesting interactions with people who share your interests. AEA Membership includes participation in up to five of AEA’s 50+ Topical Interest Groups, each one a professional community of colleagues with similar interests.
5.) Getaway with Your New Year’s Resolution
What better resolution can there be than upping your professional game with some good reading and learning and losing yourself in a good journal article? AEA Members receive subscriptions to two journals, The American Journal of Evaluation (AJE) and New Directions for Evaluation (NDE). Members also receive electronic access to both current and back content from Evaluation Review and Evaluation and the Health Professions.
6.) Make Productive Purchases
AEA membership is the most productive professional purchase you can make. Check it out for yourself and join the tribe!
Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org . aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.