In the fall of 2017, I attended my first IECA conference as a Student member in Washington DC. My perspective on my new profession radically shifted on the first day there, at a pre-conference workshop on the business of independent educational consulting. As a UCLA college counseling certificate program student, I was learning about the features of the services I would provide to clients. My focus was on communicating these features to build my fledgling business. But in the pre-con, a novel (to me) idea was proposed by Brooke Daly—that instead of highlighting features, we IECs should focus on the benefits we provide. This simple concept was a revelation to me.

From that moment, I began to think of my role as an IEC in a completely new way and changed my behavior accordingly. In initial consultations, I shifted from talking about my services to listening carefully to potential clients and understanding their pain points. I changed the focus of email communications to meeting clients’ needs. In student meetings, I kept the focus on students’ goals and dreams, ensuring their buy-in to our work together. Even my new website would reflect this 180-degree rotation in my approach.

When I joined IECA early in my certificate program, I was drawn by the features: discounts on my UCLA classes, use of the IECA logo and brochures, and reduced fees for conferences. However, after launching my LLC and stepping up to Associate membership in 2018, the benefits, both personal and professional, were what drew me to become more involved in IECA.

At that same pre-con workshop in 2017, feeling extreme imposter syndrome, I had nervously asked one of the hundreds of unfamiliar IECs if I could join her at her table. Instead of rejecting me for not yet being a working IEC, she smiled and warmly welcomed me. We quickly learned that we lived in adjoining cities and were familiar with the same high schools. She became my first mentor and we met up back home and at subsequent conferences. The benefits of mentorship became increasingly apparent when I was setting my consulting fees and encountering unexpected problems with my initial clients and pro bono students.

The vastness of IECA’s benefits became more apparent to me when I attended the 2018 Summer Training Institute (STI) at Claremont McKenna College. While my certificate program had prepared me to counsel students on the college application process, it was STI that prepared me to launch a successful business right from the outset. Creating both a business plan and a marketing plan gave me the confidence to announce myself as a small business owner in my community. Learning how to build a college list from the ultimate expert, Steven Antonoff, filled in a critical missing piece from my certificate classes. Networking, learning, and socializing with my STI peers revealed that I could have community and support as a solopreneur.

When I attended additional conferences, I found myself growing as a professional. The opportunities for continuous learning were intoxicating. However, when I learned that a great number of college tours were required for higher levels of membership, I initially considered the stipulation to be a burden, and worried about the time and money it would require. However, as I participated in pre- and post-conference tours in 2018 and joined the 2019 Northwest College Tour, it became clear that the benefits of visiting colleges alongside knowledgeable colleagues far outweighed my investment. I listened to their challenging and insightful questions and the answers allowed me to see beyond the veneer presented by practiced admissions officers. Understanding colleges’ strengths and weaknesses at a deeper level has greatly benefitted my list-building abilities, allowing me to better gauge academic, social, and financial fit for my clients.

Although I was soaking up all of the benefits that IECA had to offer me as a newer member, I wasn’t yet aware of the great fulfillment that membership could provide. I got my first glimpse when I was asked to monitor a tour bus during post-conference tours at the IECA 2018 Spring Conference in Chicago. As I checked other IECs on and off the bus at the University of Chicago, I realized that even a less experienced IEC like myself could take on a helpful role and that my efforts made a difference to others’ enjoyment of the college tour. My worldview shifted again.

Last year, I was tapped to join the IECA Outreach Committee, and was excited to join a group of IECs who were passionate about sharing the benefits of IECA with potential members. Though new on the committee, I saw an opportunity to increase IECA’s outreach to UC certificate program students. My committee chair was open to new ideas, allowing me to feel comfortable sharing my thoughts. I was thrilled to learn that she also thought that the UC programs were an untapped market for new members. Our committee launched the UC Happy Hour outreach program this January, receiving over 70 RSVPs from UC certificate program students. Several of the attendees applied for membership following the virtual meeting. Due to this initial success, our committee is planning semiannual UC Happy Hours. While planning and implementing the event required a surprising amount of time and effort, it was extremely gratifying to play a role in the growth of IECA.

My experience as an IECA volunteer and committee member gave me the confidence to apply for Professional membership last December. As my experience with IECA has expanded from features to benefits to fulfillment, my gratitude for the organization has bloomed. It’s why I belong.

—Mindy Peterson, MBA, IECA (CA)