# Why did I get a letter asking me to join the American Chemical Society?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 13, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726 "2015-01-13T17:06:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/1 "2015-01-13T17:06:35Z")
I just got a letter from ACS asking me to join and saying I was nominated for membership. Who would nominate me? I am a PC and network technician. Before that, I worked on an assembly line. I have never worked in, gone to school for, or gotten a certificate in chemistry. I had one engineering chem class in college, and that was my only experience in chemistry. Is this some kind of scam? Did they make a mistake?
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/2 "2015-01-13T17:07:35Z")
It’s my fault. I wanted the fancy Member-Get-A-Member periodic table blanket. Sorry.
Seriously, I do want one of those blankets. I just don’t have anyone to nominate.
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### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/3 "2015-01-13T17:54:26Z")
Odd. It’s almost like they just want your money and send those out to anyone. No idea how you got on their list though.
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### Author:  [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/4 "2015-01-13T17:55:16Z")
I’m guessing that you work (or have worked) for a chemical company and you got on a mailing list.
> [@asterion](#):
>
> Seriously, I do want one of those blankets. I just don’t have anyone to nominate.
They come in neon colors too, but they’ll cost you a pretty nickel.
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### Author:  [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/5 "2015-01-13T18:03:45Z")
Are you running a little side business in your garage?
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/6 "2015-01-13T18:23:10Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#):
>
> I’m guessing that you work (or have worked) for a chemical company and you got on a mailing list.
>
> They come in neon colors too, but they’ll cost you a pretty nickel.
Don’t pay the extra-only the “neon” symbol comes in the neon color. Totally not worth it.
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### Author:  [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/7 "2015-01-13T18:47:14Z")
I went to school for electrical engineering and I’m a member of the IEEE. Still get lots of literature telling me to join ASCE (civil engineers) ASME (mechanical) and SAE (automotive engineers). Makes a little more sense than recruiting a networking guy for a chemical society though.
Maybe you did well in your chem class in college? I aced micro and macro economics as a freshman, and every semester after that the economics department would send me a letter imploring me to switch majors and telling me I’d be a great asset to the econ department. So maybe your chem professor submitted your name and thought “all he has to do is get one offer to join ACS, and he’ll see the light and become a chemist!”?
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### Author:  [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/8 "2015-01-13T18:56:15Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#):
>
> I’m guessing that you work (or have worked) for a chemical company and you got on a mailing list.
The factory I used to work at was owned by the same investment firm as a couple of chemical companies. Maybe that’s why?
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### Author:  [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/9 "2015-01-13T19:08:45Z")
Somebody with the same name as you makes very high quality crystal meth?
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### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/10 "2015-01-13T22:31:08Z")
we are all chemicals.
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### Author:  [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/11 "2015-01-13T22:57:10Z")
> [@DrCube](#):
>
> …
> Maybe you did well in your chem class in college? I aced micro and macro economics as a freshman,…So maybe your chem professor submitted your name and thought “all he has to do is get one offer to join ACS, and he’ll see the light and become a chemist!”?
Does ACS membership serve as an academic or professional credential of sorts? E.g. does having a degree in Biology plus membership in ACS constitute an equivalency to a degree in Chemistry? Can more or less anyone “join” the ACS, or does joining require some proof (which someone may have already provided to them on your behalf) of competence in Chemistry?
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-get-a-letter-asking-me-to-join-the-american-chemical-society/709726/12 "2015-01-14T22:18:41Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#):
>
> Does ACS membership serve as an academic or professional credential of sorts? E.g. does having a degree in Biology plus membership in ACS constitute an equivalency to a degree in Chemistry? Can more or less anyone “join” the ACS, or does joining require some proof (which someone may have already provided to them on your behalf) of competence in Chemistry?
Don’t know about ACS in particular, but generally regular professional society memberships don’t count for a lot unless there is significant exclusivity to it. E.g., IEEE has various levels of membership with Senior and Fellow requiring certain achievements and recommendations.
However, showing that you are a member of your field’s professional society demonstrates that you are “participating” in your field, which some hirers are interested in. Also sometimes checked off on the “not a total git” list for academic promotions.