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find the best association in your area. if you've already joined association, join the best one you can find also. nothing wrong w/ joining more than one assoc. your local players and coaches will be more than willing to tell you where the best umpires work, and where are the best fields, and also the worst. the best assocs will usually do softball, both slowpitch & fastpitch, and/or baseball too sometimes. usually the best association will be heavily stacked with college level fastpitch umps.
stay away from "officiating" associations that do other sports, like volleyball, football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, you name it, and they do it. those are usually officiating sweatshops, and are good for getting assignments to get paid.
you can read as much as you like, take all the exams you can, attend all the clinics you can cram, but that still won't replace good partners and experienced solid mates that want to teach you, and I stress "want". stay away from the "you are on your own" shops.
but, if you want to do a national, you will still need to attend at least one national ASA clinic to qualify.
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