IEEE-USA InFocus

IEEE-USA’s Free December eBook Advises Readers on Building Careers in Electrical, Computer Engineering

By Georgia C. Stelluto

In the fourth installment of IEEE-USA’s Shaping an Engineering Career series, author Dr. Joseph R. Bumblis advises readers to do whatever possible to grow their careers-before time and change radically alter their perspectives of what a career is, or could be. “The progression of time and your career have two very tightly coupled attributes: they are both continuous, and ever changing,” writes Bumblis.

Identifying nine suggested IEEE-USA career principles in this book, Bumblis annotates each principal with some anecdotal data, and his own personal experiences, and helps readers steer the development of their own careers. He guides readers to begin where they are right now; consider career growth assignments; identify skills; identify fields of interest; identify important work values; keep current technically; keep current professionally; keep personal history up-to-date; and network.

Bumblis advises readers not to dwell in the past, and continually go through the woulda’-coulda’-shoulda’ cycle of old decisions: “The bottom line is: you are where you are, and what is-is.” He encourages readers to begin by looking forward, and to look back only if they can learn something.

The author demonstrates that career growth can take many different directions, before finally presenting a focused activity that you can become passionate about and truly enjoy. He writes that a large part of career decision-making is education; albeit degree-based or training-based.

Regardless of your current situation, Bumblis offers that investing in your education, experiences, and expanding your knowledge capital will serve as your foundations to a rewarding career. He explains that as you gain work experience, and continue some form of education, you can realize your career goals.

Bumblis says career growth assignments can take many forms: supporting growth technically, politically, and/or managerially. He recommends considering your “knowledge capital” – know-how that results from experience, transformation of information into knowledge, learning and current skills.

In his own personally added tenth principle-Have Fun-Bumblis says that whoever coined the phrase, “the journey is more important than the destination,” must have been an engineer-or at least an engineer, at heart.

“Change is inevitable,” writes Bumblis, “so be sure to have some fun along the way.”

From 1 December through 15 January, IEEE members download a free copy of Shaping an Engineering Career-Volume 4: Electrical and Computer EngineeringA Path to a Rewarding Career.

To get your free download of this eBook, go to https://ieeeusa.org/product/shaping-an-engineering-career-book-4-electrical-and-computer-engineering-a-path-to-a-rewarding-career/. Log in with your IEEE Web account, add the book to your cart, and use promo code DECFREE16 at checkout.

January FREE eBook

In January, IEEE-USA eBooks will offer The Best of IEEE-USA Insight: On Licensing Software Engineers, by Phillip A. Laplante, free to IEEE members.

This volume is a collection of articles pertaining to the controversial and interesting topic of licensing software engineers in the United States-one that has been hotly debated for more than 20 years. However, the debate ended in 2013, when 30 states began offering software engineers a path to licensure. Today, more than 40 states and U.S. jurisdictions support the licensing of software engineers. This collection of articles tells the story of how we got to this point, reviews some of the many controversies, makes the case for licensure, and tells you how to get there-should you choose to do so.

CALL FOR AUTHORS

IEEE-USA eBooks seeks authors to write an individual e-book, or a series, on career guidance and development topics. If you have an idea you think will benefit members in a particular area of expertise, please email your proposal to IEEE-USA Publishing Manager Georgia C. Stelluto at g.stelluto@ieee.org.


Georgia C. Stelluto is IEEE-USA’s Publishing Manager; and Manager/Editor of IEEE-USA E-BOOKS.

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Guest Contributor

IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), created in 1973 to support the career and public policy interests of IEEE’s U.S. members. IEEE-USA is primarily supported by an annual assessment paid by U.S. IEEE Members.

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