I've been reading about the BCS and how it's something that employers are looking for and it's usefull for a career etc, so it is worth becomming a member considering it's only £40 for a 4 yr membership from a job perspective?
British Computer Society?
- Thread starter Energize
- Start date
is your course fully accredited? i.e. you'd only have to pay to become a member when you graduate without doing any of the tests?
Depending on the jobs you're going for yes it can be very useful, being a member of a professional institution can be a big positive in your application. We're just about to go through something that means work will pay for us to become members and to work through the progression
Depending on the jobs you're going for yes it can be very useful, being a member of a professional institution can be a big positive in your application. We're just about to go through something that means work will pay for us to become members and to work through the progression
It says this on my uni website,
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/coursesearch/course.php?course_id=001085&entry_session_id=000109
Ohhhhh they tried to make us join their lil scam when we were at uni. One or two did and paid and said it didnt really help. I think it helps if you are working freelance after uni. You dont need it while at uni. Your course BCS accredited too so I wouldn't bother. Waste of cash..spend it on beer and er...textbooks instead 
Associate
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I paid for it for a year after I left Uni to see if it would help, it did absolutely nothing apart from SPAM me with worthless emails!
Soldato
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I paid for it for a couple of years after leaving uni until I found out that none of my employers really saw it as a plus at all.
Who, apart from the BCS, has said it's something that employers look for?
I've never known any employers to be bothered about whether you have BCS membership or not.
Would you treat other BCS qualifications as a negative like ISEB Test Management?
I look for BCS status when I'm hiring.
It isn't the be all and end all.
However if somebody has taken the time to apply and get Professional Membership then I certainly take that into consideration.
If they have takent he time to get Chartered status then that is a definite plus.
By joining the BCS they have agreed to abide by a voluntary code of conduct.
So there is no way of enforcing it - but in my view it shows that somebody has some level of integrity.
I'm personally Chartered and no it isn't that easy to get as you do need to prove you have skill sets from a lot of different levels including management and fully independent referees which are checked etc.
As for the post about "SPAM".
They only send you email from the mailing lists you agree to recieve postings from.
I get posts from most, one of my colleagues doesn't get any email and just reads the magazine each month.
So if you'd bothered to check your membership list you could have turned off all of the "SPAM" as you put it.
It isn't the be all and end all.
However if somebody has taken the time to apply and get Professional Membership then I certainly take that into consideration.
If they have takent he time to get Chartered status then that is a definite plus.
By joining the BCS they have agreed to abide by a voluntary code of conduct.
So there is no way of enforcing it - but in my view it shows that somebody has some level of integrity.
I'm personally Chartered and no it isn't that easy to get as you do need to prove you have skill sets from a lot of different levels including management and fully independent referees which are checked etc.
As for the post about "SPAM".
They only send you email from the mailing lists you agree to recieve postings from.
I get posts from most, one of my colleagues doesn't get any email and just reads the magazine each month.
So if you'd bothered to check your membership list you could have turned off all of the "SPAM" as you put it.
I was once a member and it provided me with zero benefits apart from a crappy magazine once every 3 months or so. Also cost me around £80 for 1 year.
When I decided not to renew my membership I was sent alsorts of junk from them trying to get me to sign up again. They are only after your cash, IMO it's worthless to be a member.
When I decided not to renew my membership I was sent alsorts of junk from them trying to get me to sign up again. They are only after your cash, IMO it's worthless to be a member.
Depends on the position and the team I was recruiting a person into.
I may be being daft here, but how do you use it as a shortlisting criteria and also have it as a negative?
Is it only a positive if people only mention it when asked or something?
They tried to get us into it at uni, I thought it was a bit of a **** take because if theyd let me in it cant be that great.
If someones chartered etc it obviously does mean something, but just paying £40 to be a member shows nothing really does it?
You could go to uni, get a degree and finish then apply for a job, or you could do the same and pay £40 for the membership, it makes absolutely no difference for the majority of people i expect.
If someones chartered etc it obviously does mean something, but just paying £40 to be a member shows nothing really does it?
You could go to uni, get a degree and finish then apply for a job, or you could do the same and pay £40 for the membership, it makes absolutely no difference for the majority of people i expect.
Of course I wouldn'tLets say, I dunno, you're recruiting a Test Manager
If it was a relevant qualification then it would be an asset. As far as I'm concerned, membership is not any use to me at all.
And to clarify, I see it as a negative aspect when looking at a CV, not a positive criteria to be met. I appreciate I could have worded it better.