President’s Notebook
MASTER APEGA
On Being a Professional, Being a Leader — and Passing the APEGA Torch
BY CONNIE PARENTEAU, P.ENG., FEC, FGC (HON.) APEGA President
Here’s how I look at it. I have talents and skills that I want to expand on, and I want to share them with my professional community. That’s why I first started volunteering with APEGA in 1992. That’s why I put my name forward to run for APEGA Council and then for President. I consider this giving back to my profession. It’s part of my CPD — and not a burden at all. Running for Council, for example, offered me many personal and professional development opportunities that would not normally have been extended to me in my workplace. You, too, can give back to your profession by volunteering with APEGA. You can volunteer with your Branch, apply to join one of the Association’s advisory groups or statutory bodies, or sign up to help out at an APEGA outreach event so you can introduce children to the joys of science and math. These are just a few of the many opportunities available — great ways to give back, engage yourself in your profession, and grow your skills. Visit the volunteering section of the all-new apega.ca to check out opportunities that match your interests.
What does it mean to be a professional? What are the responsibili- ties and obligations we all have as Professional Engineers and Professional Geoscientists? What, particularly when it comes to self-regulating professions, are the common threads? To start, a profession is more than simply a job or occupation. Members of a profession have specialized knowledge and skills, gained through extensive formal education, their own research, and practical experience. We belong to a self-regulating professional organization. One of each self-regulating organization’s roles is to set standards that professionals must meet in their practices. Professionals are held to a code of ethics. They have a duty to maintain their skills and competence through professional development; in APEGA’s case, the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program is formalized, mandatory, and subject to review. Most important, professionals are accountable to those they serve — society or the public first, followed by their clients. Professionals promote and protect the public good, putting it ahead of self-interest. When I was in high school and considering my career options, the idea of belonging to a profession was what tipped the scales in favour of studying engineering. I didn’t really know exactly what it meant to be a professional. But even as a 17-year-old, the concept appealed to me. I knew I wanted a career that was more than a job, more than an occupation. I wanted my work to mean something beyond a pay cheque. I wanted to make a difference.
GIVE BACK: VOTE
Another way to give back is through something we all can do easily: Vote in the APEGA Election, which runs February 19 to March 20. And please show leadership by encouraging your eligible peers and colleagues to vote, too. Start by familiarizing yourself with the candidates and what they have to offer. As you will have noticed by the cover, this edition of The PEG is dedicated to the election. Candidate statements appear a few pages after this column. Videos appear on the all-new APEGA website, apega.ca. (One aside: please be sure you have reset your password in the Member Self-Service Centre (MSSC). You’ll need access to the MSSC to vote. If you haven’t visited it recently, for security reasons you may be prompted to reset your password.) You might also consider stepping up and putting your name forward in a future election — or perhaps identifying others who might make good candidates. Members often don’t think about running unless someone else approaches them. Look for those you think would be good contributors to
BEING A PROFESSIONAL: IT’S ABOUT GIVING BACK
In what ways do you, as a Professional Engineer or Professional Geoscientist, give back to your profession? How do you contribute to the governance and growth of our professional community, helping all of us all do a better and better job of serving the public interest? Some simple and some complex, there are many ways to give back. No matter which ones you choose, giving back should never be looked at as onerous. There’s something truly rewarding about being part of a profession that demands this level of commitment.
4 | PEG SPRING 2016
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