General Events - Houston Area

Join SWE-HA for our November Professional Development event with Marcy Knox. Marcy Knox is a Financial Advisor and Field Director at Northwestern Mutual, the only direct provider of insurance products in the United States, and offers a range of services including insurance, financial planning, and investments. This is an opportunity to learn about 3 financial challenges women face and how to overcome them.

Location: West Houston Institute – Room 170, 2811 Hayes Rd, Houston, TX 77082

Date and time: Thu, Nov 7, 2024 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Price: FREE

Join us for a November Networking Evening Mixer! Instead of weekend morning coffee, the November networking event will be a Thursday evening meet-up at Woodland Social, a patio bar serving drinks and wood fired pizzas. Other Houston organizations will also be joining SWE-HA at this networking event. Whether it’s catching up with SWE-HA friends or forming new connections, we look forward to seeing you there! Professional/business attire is encouraged. Attendees are responsible for their own food & beverages, and the $5 cover goes toward reservation fees.

Location: Woodland Social, 313 E Woodland St, Houston, TX 77009

Date and time: Thu, Nov 14, 2024 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Price: $5

Join us for an exciting Lab Tour & Lunch & Learn at Halliburton Multi-Chem Lab! 🚨

Location: Halliburton Multi-Chem, 5500 Sam Houston Parkway W #800, Houston, TX 77086

Date and time: Fri, Nov 15, 2024 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Arrive at 9:50 AM)

Price: FREE to all members

Save the date for our International Women’s Day Celebration 2025! More details to be announced soon.

Location: TBD

Date and time: Sat, Mar 8th, 2025 | Time TBD

Price: TBD

If you are interested in getting into SWE leadership, we are always looking for volunteers! Perhaps the best way to enter is to become a member of one of our committees. We have a group of awesome leaders – let us know where your passions lie and we’ll make sure we get you to the right group.

FY25 Committee Interest Form

Other Ways to Get Involved

There are many different ways to get involved with SWE-HA. There’s something for everyone. Check out our programs:

SWE-HA’s membership committee hosts a minimum of five recurring events each fiscal year:

Membership Kickoff, typically at the end of August
Networking Nights, typically an evening happy hour in the fall and spring
Holiday Party, typically a creative activity with wine in early December
Member Appreciation, typically early June
Monthly Coffee + Networking, typically first Saturday of the month

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter on the home page to get notified when these events occur!

SWE-HA’s professional development committee typically hosts three events per fiscal year. Past events include job search workshops with resume reviews, professional headshots, and elevator pitch coaching, salary negotiation, and Q&A panels about entrepreneurship, leadership, and choosing your advanced degree.

Throughout your career, SWE-HA wants to help you grow professionally. The SWE-HA Professional Development Committee is looking for your feedback. We want to know what you are interested in seeing this fiscal year. In addition, we have opportunities for you to speak at a SWE-HA event. For questions, please contact professional_development@houstonswe.org.

PD Poll/Speaker Interest Form

Mentoring is one of the SWE core values. In line with this, the goal of this program is to connect young and experienced professional members of the SWE Houston chapter. Dates of this program will be announced soon. This opportunity is only available to SWE-HA members.

Program Outline

Goal/Vision
- To provide an open and candid forum for SWE-HA young professional members to gain insight from experienced SWE members that will help develop their engineering identities and sense of belonging to the SWE community.
Expectations
- Professionalism
- Inclusion
- Participants must adhere to the SWE Code of Conduct
- Willingness to invest the time/effort in the relationship throughout the entire mentorship period
Time Commitment
- 1-2 hours per month
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a current SWE member registered to Houston Area Section
- Experienced Professionals (10+ years experience) will serve as mentors to Young Professionals (0-10 years experience)
Responsibilities
- For the initial contact and first formal meeting, the mentor will be responsible for setting a meeting date and time, location, and agenda. Subsequently, the mentee will be responsible for setting up meetings and agendas.
- Mentees/mentors will self-determine the meeting schedule, location, and topics. However, it is expected that mentorship will take place from the launch of the program through the following 6 months with at least one meeting per month.
- It is expected that both parties will be respectful of each other’s availability and time commitment. Thus, attending scheduled meetings is mandatory to continue in this program. In extraordinary circumstances, a partner may need to cancel an already scheduled meeting. Notice of cancellation should be made as soon as practical.
- At the close of a fiscal year, mentors and mentees will be asked to reflect on the program and complete a survey to provide feedback on the program.
- Mentors and mentees are expected to attend the program events/activities (kick-off, monthly meetings, and end-of-year).

Why Become a Mentor?

Give back to the next generation
Develop feedback and critical thinking skills
Discover a new perspective
Advance your leadership skills by fostering career progression and growth opportunities
Grow professional networks

Why Become a Mentee?

Learn from the experience of your mentor
Grow professional networks, learn to navigate workplace challenges, develop your leadership skills, explore opportunities, and build your career path
Gain practical advice, encouragement, and support.
Discover a new perspective

Frequently Asked Questions

I am not a member of SWE HA, but can I still sign-up to be a mentor/mentee?
- At this time, we are asking that all participants be current SWE members associated with the Houston section.
I am not actively working as an engineer but have an engineering degree, can I still sign up to be a mentor/mentee?
- Yes, we would request that mentors who are not currently working as engineers have worked as an engineer and are engaged in a professional career either in a leadership role, or in a related field, such as law, medicine, an entrepreneurial venture, or have retired from an engineering career.
What is the time commitment for this program?
- Mentors and mentees are expected to self-determine the frequency and method of communication in their first meeting. At a minimum, mentors/mentees should connect for 1-2 hours per month. However, availability is key to a successful mentorship relationship and some individuals may desire more communication than others.
What are common topics discussed with mentees?
- Everything from goal setting and career guidance to navigating work-life balance and responding to performance reviews or salary negotiations at work. Mentors and mentees talk about a wide range of things. More specific things include involvement opportunities, networking, and professional development.
How long is the program commitment?
- The program is expected to last for 6 months (dates to be announced soon). However, either party may end the relationship at an earlier date for any reason by notifying the partner and the SWE HA mentorship committee. The parties may also extend the duration of the partnership by mutual agreement.
How will I be matched with a mentor/mentee?
- Mentors/mentees will be matched based on their responses to the interest form. Every effort will be made to match all participants.
For other questions, please contact vp_internal@houstonswe.org.