Student members and IEEE Young Professionals have opportunities to be involved in a host of activities including networking events, coding competitions, community service projects, and mentoring. Here are ways the next generation of innovators can be part of the organization and build their résumés.
BECOME A STUDENT VOLUNTEER
Through IEEE student branches, members at universities around the globe take on a variety of leadership roles. They might organize workshops, for example, or oversee community service projects. They can form an IEEE SIGHT (Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology), which allows members to help solve problems in their community.
Volunteering to be a student leader with IEEE can help a recent graduate land a job and gain skills such as management and public speaking. Those who join student branches meet like-minded people and can build professional relationships.
Student members can become student representatives and hold activities for their region. They also get to attend annual meetings that bring together student leaders from across IEEE to discuss student-branch improvements and share their membership experiences. The most recent event was the Student Activities Committee meeting in Chicago from 9 to 11 July. Attending were 35 representatives who came from all 10 IEEE regions, as well as IEEE staff.
To get involved, go to the IEEE Student Activities Web page.
TAKE ON A CHALLENGE
At the daylong IEEEXtreme programming competition, thousands of student teams from all over the globe race against the clock to solve more than 20 engineering challenges. This is the competition’s 10th year.
Past winners have gone on to launch startups and work for high-tech companies. IEEE Member Jura Bogomolov, who took third place in an IEEEXtreme competition with his team, got a job with Amazon. The interview questions Amazon asked Bogomolov were similar to the challenges in the IEEEXtreme competition, he said.
To sign up for this year’s competition, which is scheduled for 22 October, visit the IEEEXtreme website starting on 16 August.
NETWORK WITH YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
The IEEE Young Professionals affinity group serves members who are relatively new to the job market. There are many opportunities to meet others within the community, whether at large tech conferences such as the Consumer Electronics Show or at local IEEE events. For example, the group held a networking event after this year’s IEEE Honors Ceremony, held on 18 June in New York City. Attendees met with the award recipients and IEEE leaders including President Barry Shoop and 2017 President-Elect Karen Bartleson.
COLLABORATE ONLINE
The IEEE Collabratec online platform offers a suite of tools that members and technology professionals use to network, collaborate, and create.
The Young Professionals community on IEEE Collabratec has more than 7,000 members, and the Global Student Exchange has nearly 5,000. Both communities give their members the ability to connect online and in-person, find jobs, and create networks based on their engineering and technology interests.
LAUNCH YOUR CAREER
Other resources for student members and young professionals include the IEEE RésuméLab, which allows them to get feedback on their résumés and cover letters, as well as practice mock interview questions. And the IEEE Job Site lists entry-level jobs in many fields of interest.
There are also scholarships, grants, and fellowships available to student members.