The most value from membership

By: Fred Schindler

I’ve found great value in my IEEE membership. Yet I frequently hear the complaint that members don’t get much in return from joining. Sure, Spectrum and The Institute are included with membership, and they are great. But is that all? The savings on conference registration fees are significant, but not everyone goes to conferences. (Why not!?) Besides, often employers pay the conference fees, but not the membership fee.

I’ve been an IEEE member for 47 years. I joined as a student while earning my BSEE. As much as I wish I had been an engineering phenom and joined at age 10, I was not. I joined my first society, MTT-S, 45 years ago, although admittedly just to receive the IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Technology. I could have read them every month in my employer’s library, but it was much more convenient to receive them at home. With the advent of IEEE  Xplore™ and electronic delivery, my employer’s subscription provided me with all the access I might want. Yet I still find great value in being a member.

My first several years as a member I was a passive member. I don’t recall there being a student branch at my engineering school. Eventually, I started attending conferences, reviewing papers, helping with conferences. I had my network at work and now was building my professional network. I became involved in the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT) as a volunteer 32 years ago. Since that time, I’ve gradually become involved in more and more IEEE activities. With that, my professional network has grown. It’s great to have friends. Professionally it’s great to have an extensive network. My career would not have been as successful had I not had such a great network.

Thanks to being an active volunteer, my network includes engineers and technologists across a broad spectrum of technical and scientific areas. Our world has become ever more inter- and cross-disciplinary. I don’t think it’s possible to be successful in an isolated area such as microwave technology anymore. As an example, consider the vast array of technologies you carry in your pocket. There is quite a bit of microwave technology in there, but to design it, you need to understand the interactions with many other technologies.

I’ve worked as a manager for most of my professional life. I’ve been able to use the skills I’ve learned as a manager in my MTT and IEEE leadership positions. But, more importantly, I’ve used what I’ve learned as an IEEE and MTT leader to improve my management skills. Working in a group of volunteers on a common goal is a very different dynamic than managing a team for an employer. The skills I learned as a volunteer translate exceedingly well to the rest of my life.

Volunteering is incredibly satisfying. Sure, as with anything, there can be frustrations. But I’ve found the net balance to be overwhelmingly positive. The value of membership is in being an engaged member. You have to put something into your membership. I’ve gotten much more out of my membership than what I’ve put into it.