[clug] ACS query

[steve jenkin]

Mike Carden wrote on 29/2/08 9:04 AM:
> On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 6:15 PM, steve jenkin <sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au> wrote:
>
>  For the best reference for the ACS, see Tom Worthington.
>   
>
> Sorry Steve, were you saying that ACS membership is a good thing or a bad thing?
>
>   
I wasn't saying - that's an individual subjective judgement.

There are 10-15,000 people who plunk down their $320/year to be members:
their actions make a statement.

The other ~400,000 Australian IT workers don't make that same statement.

A subset of them, a very large group (50-100,000?) including me, were
once members.
Another statement :-)

For someone to make an informed decision, they need both sides of the
argument.
I was attempting to make the information for a positive case available.

I can't answer the "What's in it for me" question for another person.
My story and my reasons may or may not be relevant ;-)



One of the bits of information that I'd assume would/should be a key
determinant in any decision is:
    Would ACS membership be detrimental to my job prospects or career?



Unfortunately, I don't know where to find that out, or if that exists -
or that it is even knowable.
The ACS would never ask that question or publish a negative result.

>From what I've heard around the traps, there are people around who
"hire&fire" for whom 'MACS' is an instant "don't hire".
With the number of ex-members around and (rightly or wrongly) the degree
of bad feeling towards the ACS - this would be a valid concern for most
people.

Personally, I never directly discovered that problem - but I expunged
all reference to ACS from my CV, just in case.


Sorry to bang on so long.
Hope I answered your question and explained my position - without
prejudicing others unduly.

-- 
Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist.
0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915)
PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA

sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://members.tip.net.au/~sjenkin