Undoubtedly, surgical societies play an important role in career development for the practicing surgeon, but the process of "getting involved" often seems nebulous and intimidating, especially to the surgeon who is new in practice and still developing confidence, experience, and content expertise. This chapter will highlight some of the ways that different surgical societies can help propel the surgeon into leadership roles. However, it's important to note that there's not much hard science to guide this chapter's advice, and it instead stems from the author's personal experience climbing ladders, falling, and getting back up. This chapter should be seen as an abridged playbook rather than a comprehensive and universally applicable resource.