I promised a post of substance, though it might be the kind of substance you’re getting sick of from me. Once again, I am looking at some options, weighing the costs and benefits and trying to make a decision. This time, though, I could really, really use your input. I hope you’ll give me some.

 

I have been in my current position two years. My title is Operations and Administrative Programs manager. My target length of stay in any one position, at this time, is 3-5 years. Three years in is generally when I start casually looking for new opportunities, and I usually find them. For the record, my last position (at my current company) was the longest I’d ever stayed in a single position, and that lasted 5 years, with me actively looking for a new position for two of those years.

However, within my current company, there aren’t really any Associate Director type of positions for me to go to. If I were to look at job categories within my company, I’d be looking in the Professional Administrative category, and maybe in Finance. However, we don’t even have an Operations category to look at.

If I were to leave my current company, and especially if I were to decide to leave health care, the Operations part of my job is the most marketable and easily transferrable. Because of that, I had made the decision last year that this year I would join one of the professional societies for operations management and perhaps get some certifications to add after my name.

I know from working on the hiring side that I much prefer to see that someone already has the certifications versus has just taken the test and is waiting for results. It makes me feel more like they care about their work, not just getting this next job. So, it makes me want to have my certs before I start job hunting, even casually.

 

This is where the decision making comes in. Would you believe that there is not a single professional society for operations management? My research brings up 3 groups with international reach as professional societies. I need your help in deciding which one to join, so here are the pros and cons, as I see them, for each group.

 

Association for Operations Management (APICS)

Pros: APICS has been around since 1957. They are the most established of the three organizations and offer two internationally recognized certifications. Their testing has long been established and you can schedule a computer based test at a testing facility near you (much like I did with the GMAT). You can take their certification tests without actually being a member.

Cons: APICS focus remains clearly on manufacturing. Their certifications are in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and Supply Chain Professional (CSCP). While I test well, and with some studying don’t doubt my ability to pass either exam, neither is exactly what I am looking to do in Operations, though the CSCP would not be difficult to apply to my work.

I have worked for a manufacturer and I’m not totally against going back that direction, unless I want to work for Boeing, my options in the Seattle area are going to be much greater if I’m focused on the service industries.

Membership Cost: $200/year. It gives you discounts on the certification tests and APICS run events.

 

Production and Operation Management Society (POMS)

Pros: POMS was formed in 1989, so it’s not stuck in the idea that Operations is all about manufacturing. In fact, they have special “colleges” you can join that include Healthcare Operations Management, Humanitarian Operations and Crisis Management (I’d love to go work for one of the humanitarian organizations in this area), and Product Innovation and Technology Management (my MBA focus was on Technology & Innovation Management), and Service Operations.

Based on the officers listed, they are truly the most international of the organizations.

Cons: They offer no certifications. In fact, most of the educational materials they link to are free not matter what, like MIT Open Courseware (which I’ve talked about before).

Membership Cost: $125/year, +$25/year for any of the colleges I wish to join.

 

The Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society (MSOM) which is part of the Institute for Operations Research and the Mangement Sciences (INFORMS)

Pros: While INFORMS has only been around since 1995, it grew out of Operations Research Society of America (ORSA), around since 1952, and The Institute for Management Science (TIMS), around since 1954. It seems to be the most academically oriented of the societies, which suits me because I’m an academic at heart. MSOM is only one of their societies, so membership in this group gives me access to areas beyond just Operations, to include the Health Applications Society and Decision Analysis. In addition, there are special interest groups within MSOM, including Healthcare Operations Management and Service Management.

INFORMS has regional chapters, including one based out ofSeattle.

They offer one certification, the Analytics Professional (CAP).

Cons: This is the most academic of the organizations and seems to have less relevance to actually working in Operations. The focus of INFORMS, at least, is on operations research. MSOM is just one small part of their overall group.

TheSeattlechapter appears like it may not be very active. They still list a May 8 meeting as their upcoming meeting and their “past meetings” list skip for Feb 22, 2012 back to October 20, 2010. That’s a big gap.

While the CAP seems more interesting to me than the APICS certifications, I have moved out of analytics and into management. I am not certain I want to go back. In addition, the CAP isn’t actually offered yet. First testing for it won’t begin until April 2013, and it will only be offered at an INFORMS conference inSan Antonio. And even if I could be inSan Antonionext April to test for it, it’s not yet an industry recognized cert.

Membership Cost: $152/year. There may be an additional fee for joining MSOM. I can’t get to the part of the website that would tell me that without filling out their forms.

 

 

Right now I’m thinking I join either POMS or INFORMS, but perhaps still take the CSCP exam from APICS, paying full price. What do you think my best course of action would be?