Networking at the AHIMA Student Academy

Today I spent a couple of hours at the AHIMA Student Academy as a mentor for their lightning rounds. AHIMA's Student Academy is a one day free event for students in AHIMA based programs. Several mentors including myself were asked to spend time giving advice on certification, career planning, volunteering, and networking - you know, a lot of the things I blog about through the Coder Coach!

It was great to network with the future of our profession and see so many people excited about their future careers.

So here's a little recap from the mentors' advice to students today:
-Follow your bliss - if a particular area interests you, pursue it, even if the pay isn't great. If you go for a job that you're passionate about, the money will follow.
-Certification is a must if you want to be taken seriously and want to excel.
-Network, network, network. Communicating and networking with current pros is key.
-Volunteer. You would be amazed at the doors that will open for you when you volunteer either with coding/HIM departments or with your local coding/HIM associations.
-Stay positive and avoid being defensive. People pick up on attitude quickly. If you are looking for a job and have been for a long time it's easy to let bitterness creep into your conversations. So be careful to keep positive and hopeful.

More from AHIMA in Salt Lake City coming soon!