IEEE-USA New & Notable

17 September Webinar to Focus on Managing Career Transitions

When: 17 September, 3:00 p.m. ET

What you will need: Phone line and computer with Internet Connection.

To Register: Please e-mail Marnie James [m.c.james@ieee.org]

Webinar Abstract: Throughout our lives, we go through many gradual transitions: child to adult to senior citizen; student to professional to retiree; learner to achiever to mentor. In our careers, however, changes may be rapid (despite, often, a prologue of seemingly countless rumors). We can be on the wrong side of "right sized," or struggling to manage the same work load with less people, while being admonished to "work smarter, not harder."

We are all managing our lives in one way or another. But if we are not facing life's challenges proactively, we might be doing a poor job of it. Like Dilbert's pointy haired boss, not functioning positively sometimes means that we are succeeding in spite of ourselves.

Transitions are typical for professionals of all levels. This workshop is custom tailored for IEEE members, focusing on the common issues we face as EEs, including: perception of technical obsolescence; how to build networks when our existing professional networks no longer function (e.g., loss of contacts because an entire department is gone); and the stress of long hours with low productivity (lots of meetings, constantly changing directions).

About the Presenter: Don Herres is IEEE Region I Professional Activities Coordinator and is a past Regional Representative to the IEEE-USA Employment and Career Services Committee. He has 28 years experience primarily in product design, manufacturing and plant and facilities engineering. He has an MSEE from Syracuse University, BSEE from SUNY Buffalo, and is Licensed Professional Engineer in New York.

Don has presented this workshop across the country, from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, to Phoenix, Arizona, to Florida. Each time he presents is different, and this will be the first time he has presented this material in cyberspace. With the help of a Webinar facilitator, participants will discuss issues they are currently facing. By addressing on those concerns, participants can learn and begin to develop techniques (there are no magic answers in one and a half hours) to move forward. One of Don's favorite quotes is: "I have to learn from the mistakes of others, I don't have time to make them all myself."

Last Update:  15 May 2007
Staff Contact: Pender M. McCarter, p.mccarter@ieee.org