Any IEEE members here?

[CraKaJaX]

There's a "IEEE Student Branch" meeting tonight at my school. Is anyone a member of IEEE or the student branch of it? Can you give me a rundown of the benefits if I go to this meeting and sign up for the "student branch?" Obviously it's not an actual IEEE membership, as you have to pay for that, but the student branch part of it I guess. Does anyone have any first hand experience/information on this? All I know is that they are serving coffee and donuts. Thanks.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: CraKaJaX
There's a "IEEE Student Branch" meeting tonight at my school. Is anyone a member of IEEE or the student branch of it? Can you give me a rundown of the benefits if I go to this meeting and sign up for the "student branch?" Obviously it's not an actual IEEE membership, as you have to pay for that, but the student branch part of it I guess. Does anyone have any first hand experience/information on this? All I know is that they are serving coffee and donuts. Thanks.

You get free food. That is a major benefit (IEEE has lots of money). Meeting people is another benefit - you never know who might hire you after you graduate! Another benefit is you may hear some excellent lectures or talk with some industry heads (more networking!).

If you don't have anything important to do, I'd encourage you to go and check it out. The worst that can happen is you get there and someone took your donut.

 

[oznerol]

My school paid for 1 year of IEEE membership. I went to 1 meeting, got the free food Tiamat alludes to, and then never went again.

I never renewed my membership, but they still send me crap in the mail.

If you want resume padding (or free food), or if you enjoy getting a newsletter every month filled with random industry crap and a bunch of names of people who mean nothing to you, go for it.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: CraKaJaX
There's a "IEEE Student Branch" meeting tonight at my school. Is anyone a member of IEEE or the student branch of it? Can you give me a rundown of the benefits if I go to this meeting and sign up for the "student branch?" Obviously it's not an actual IEEE membership, as you have to pay for that, but the student branch part of it I guess. Does anyone have any first hand experience/information on this? All I know is that they are serving coffee and donuts. Thanks.

I was the "president" (student chapter chair or some similar official title) for my school's branch of IEEE. We did a lot of neat little projects, had some professors blow stuff up in the name of "physics demos", served pizza always, and generally had a lot of fun at meetings. Plus, we got to take road trips all over the place to IEEE meetings in a university van. The meetings could be fairly dry, but the trips were a lot of fun (read: the parts I remember).

Edit: and three of my friends, between them collected over $1000 in cash prizes in paper / project competitions for just presenting things they were doing for class or fun.

 

[PeanutButter]

Good stuff. Free first-year membership and went to the meetings for free amazing pizza.

 

[nanette1985]

I still have the free coffee mug they gave me. It's been a long time.

 

[Born2bwire]

Man... I really should join IEEE. My understanding is I get a break on the cost of conferences among other things, and Spectrum is usually an interesting read.