California DECA provides a wide variety of opportunities—from competitive events and conferences to leadership experiences and personal connections. For a first-year member, these countless opportunities can seem overwhelming. Whether it be selecting your event or preparing for conferences, these tips will help you get started. 

Picking the Right Event

For competitive events, there are six categories:

• Business Management and Administration
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance,
• Hospitality and Tourism
• Marketing
• Personal Finance Literacy

Within these categories, there are role-plays— events that are prepared and presented under a time constraint at conferences. As a new member, you will most likely be competing in a Principles Event roleplay, which includes solving a business situation. For instance, in Principles of Business Administration, you may be asked to resolve a customer complaint while maintaining a customer service orientation and embodying the company’s values. Additionally, roleplays include a multiple-choice exam in which your knowledge of key business concepts is assessed. The scoring for this event is the combined score of the roleplay and the exam. 

On the other hand, students also participate in prepared events—requiring members to created their presentations before conferences. Prepared Events include a variety of styles such as Business Operation Research, Project Management Events, Integrated Marketing Campaigns, and many more. Each person is allowed to compete in one roleplay and one written event at each conference. Be sure to try a practice event and some multiple-choice questions from DECA.org before finalizing your event for the year!

Conferences

Once you have selected your events, the next step is competition, which means conferences. Throughout the year, there will be 3 main conferences to remember. Firstly, there is the district conference in January, where members compete in their district: Northern California, Silicon Valley, or Southern California.

Next is the state-wide conference, the California State Career Development Conference (California SCDC). There are no formal prerequisites for this conference; many chapters require members to place as finalists at districts to compete at SCDC.

Finally, the highest level of DECA competition is the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), where competitors from all over the globe participate. To qualify for ICDC, you must place in the top five at SCDC, and you are only allowed to compete in one event. In addition to these three official conferences, many chapters also host Mini-Cons, or mock conferences, to help members prepare for competition.

DECA Beyond Competitions

While competition is a central part of DECA, there is so much more that will shape your experience. As a beginner, you will quickly see how valuable chapter leadership is to the DECA journey. Towards the end of your first year, you’ll have the opportunity to apply for chapter leadership positions. In the years that follow, you can level up your experience through leadership roles such as the District Action Team and the State Leadership Team. These elected positions allow members to connect across California by supporting chapters and attending events.

Beyond leadership, chapter campaigns such as the Community Service Campaign and the Advocacy Campaign give every member the chance to get involved within their school and community. These campaigns also help new members build stronger connections with peers, making everything from DECA Month to conferences even more meaningful.

Finally, one of the favorite parts of DECA for many members is the travel. California SCDC is hosted annually in Anaheim, while ICDC rotates through different locations each year. These conferences provide incredible opportunities to meet members, advisors, and alumni from across California and beyond!

Ask for Help

Every DECA member has started where you are now and has grown through experience and support. Never be afraid to reach out to your chapter leadership, advisor, and fellow members. Additionally, the District Action Team and State Officers are always happy to help and are reachable through social media and at events. Don’t forget these resources:  

• DECA.org for info about competitions, practice materials, and guidelines
• DECA Direct and California DECA Blog for announcements and advice
• Member group chats and newsletters to stay up to date
• Mock conferences and chapter study sessions

Everyone begins their DECA journey somewhere, and the most important step is getting started. Whether it be going to a chapter meeting or comparing competitive events, you’re already on your way to becoming a successful DECA member! 

This week’s post was written by Rajvi Shah/NorCal DECA DAT Vice President of Leadership