The term “young professionals” generally refers to someone who is younger than the average age in a particular industry; it could be classified as anyone under a particular age, or based on when they earned their first professional degree. In IEEE, the IEEE Young Professionals generally refers to anyone who has graduated with their first professional degree within the last 15 years, though members can always opt-in to Young Professional membership, regardless of age or years of experience.
We see a lot of year-over-year (YoY) decline in young professional membership within IEEE’s U.S. Regions 1-6, and many times the reason given for not continuing is that they do not find value in their membership, coupled with their busy lives. Data shows that IEEE is an aging organization, and the mean age of membership increases YoY. This article will address some of the ways IEEE-USA, in general, caters to young professionals’ needs, and on how younger members can discover additional value in their IEEE membership through IEEE-USA’s programs, products and services.
Webinars
To succeed in our professional lives, we need both technical and non-technical skills (aka soft skills). There are countless resources available within IEEE Xplore where we can access top-cited journals and papers for our technical skill development and research. IEEE-USA Webinars provide targeted, career-relevant content, covering critical non-technical skills for professional development and success. IEEE-USA webinars are designed to help you find your next job, maintain your career, understand ethical considerations in a workplace, and also learn about career-building strategies and public policy developments that affect your profession. Some past webinar topics include “How to Negotiate Your Salary,” “How to Set-up Your Investments and 401k for Financial Success,” “Finding Happiness and Work/Life Balance” and “Fine Tuning Your Resume for Your Next Job.”
E-Books and Audiobooks
IEEE-USA also offers a wide range of E-Books and Audiobooks, released every month, on a variety of topics, including professional development, life lessons and project management. These are all free resources for members to download.
Conferences
Another way young professionals can make use of their membership is by attending conferences that are financially supported by IEEE-USA, like the IEEE Rising Stars Conference. The conference is a great opportunity for younger engineers to learn from C-suite level executives about both technical and professional development topics, and network among peers. It could also be a place where you land your next job through some of the corporate sponsors present at the conference.
Public Policy Activities
Another major benefit that IEEE-USA provides is for members to advocate on public policy issues related to their profession. IEEE-USA has an excellent volunteer and staff team that works tirelessly on advocacy issues, including AI & autonomous systems, ensuring stronger IP protection, digital privacy, and Immigration reforms. Some of IEEE-USA’s advocacy wins include helping passage of the US CHIPS & Science Act, and helping defeat plans to tax graduate assistantships. IEEE-USA’s Public Policy committees are always looking for younger members to get involved in their work. This could very well be a place where you could end up finding your next mentor, and help shape the public policy related to your profession.
IEEE-USA also sponsors Government Fellowships, which is part of one of the premier fellowship programs in Washington, DC. If selected to be a fellow, you spend a year working at the U.S. Department of State, USAID or the U.S. Congress. The program is open to recent Ph.D. graduates or mid-career professionals.
IEEE-USA also hosts an annual Congressional Visits Day (CVD), an event that brings together engineers, scientists, researchers, and other STEM professionals to Washington, DC, to raise visibility of and support for engineering and technology. If you are interested in participating, stay tuned for announcements to sign up for next year’s CVD.
Awards
Each fall, IEEE-USA presents awards to deserving recipients in recognition of professionalism, technical achievement, and literary contributions to public awareness and understanding of engineering and allied professions in the United States. The 2023 honorees were Faye Kann, Jennifer Fowler, Dr. Asad M. Madni, Dr. Alton Romig, Jr., Dr. Ulrich Rohde, Leon Grant, and Dr. Muralidhar Rangaswamy. Award candidates can be nominated between 1 April and 15 September. Learn more at: https://ieeeusa.org/volunteers/awards-recognition/. If you are a young volunteer within your section or region, I highly encourage you to check out the IEEE-USA John Meredith Professional Service Award and encourage you to nominate (although self-nominations are not permitted).
Publications & Social Media
IEEE-USA InSight, which you are reading now, publishes articles on topics ranging from cutting-edge emerging technologies, such as LLE models and training, to professional development topics, such as FE/PE license exam preparations. If you are interested in writing an article, submissions are always welcome. Learn more at: https://insight.ieeeusa.org/about-contact/
I also recommend that you to sign up for our newsletters (https://ieeeusa.org/communications/newsletters/). In particular, the IEEE-USA Leadership Connection is a monthly newsletter about resources designed to help you build a satisfying and sustainable career. Also, follow us on our social media channels (@IEEEUSA), where the majority of our content is geared towards early career professionals.
Volunteer — Make a Difference!
Finally, to make the most of your IEEE membership, I would encourage you to volunteer and make a difference, whether it is in your local Section or Region, or for a conference. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the above discussed IEEE-USA programs, you can learn more at https://ieeeusa.org/volunteers/get-involved/.
I hope you find value in your IEEE membership and get involved to make a difference. Best wishes!
