I attended the Society of Women Engineers Annual Conference in Nashville, TN on October 21-24. This conference provides a wealth of professional development seminars and workshops. The program tracks that I attended included Career and Life Transitions, Career Enhancement Series, and Academics and Graduate Students. Others included: Careers in Government and Military, Inclusion and Cultural Awareness, Innovation and Technology in Business, K-12 Outreach, and Management and Strategy. Within these tracks, specific sessions that are available include information about transitioning to your first job, salary negotiations, designing your dream job, building yourself as a leader, strategies for obtaining your first academic position, and managing difficult conversations.

I have attended the SWE conference in the past and have always had a valuable experience. These sessions gave me insight into my next career transition, and I was able to use this event as a networking opportunity, as this conference had 9,000+ attendees. I gained skills at negotiating my first job offer, tips for interviewing for positions in industry and government, as well as new leadership skills, as I’ve taken on more leadership positions recently.

Information on the conference and registration costs can be found here: we15.swe.org

Cost breakdown estimate:
-	Student registration fee: $90
-	Mileage from Roanoke to Nashville, TN in personal vehicle – 875 miles round trip ($0.54*875 = $472.50)
-	Parking in Nashville = $61
-	Per diem, departing Roanoke 2p 10/20/2015, returning 3p 10/25/2015 (~$220)