Pipelining

Attractive Programs for Women

1942-065X/09/$25.00©2009IEEEIEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE JUNE 2009 30

Pipelining

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wWith the economy dipping to the worst lows in almost a century and unemploy-ment on the rise, opportunities to find new jobs have been sparse. For college students just entering the workforce, the lack of real-world experience can make the prospect of job hunt-ing exponentially scarier, to say the least. Luckily for engineer-ing students, there is some hope in the form of Student Profes-sional Awareness Conferences, or S-PACs.

S-PACs are student-run confer-ences that provide career advice and mentoring to students that they may not receive in their classes. “The whole purpose is to focus on nontechnical skills and the non-technical parts of being an engi-neer,” says Jim Watson, one of the founders of the S-PAC program. The conferences originated in the 1970s, when there was a lot of importance being placed on practicing engineers to develop professional and business skills. At that time, the IEEE’s Stu-dent Activities Committee speculat-ed that students could benefit from these same additional skills. The committee initiated the first confer-ence in 1979 and, since then, there have been more than 800 conferenc-es that have drawn crowds anywhere from six to 600 students.

A day-long S-PAC, typically held on campus or at a local hotel, focuses on one or more of six major areas: career growth, working, professional ethics and social responsibility, self-management, engi-neers and public policy, and the impor-

tance of a professional society to you. The student planning committee has the task of determining which topics will draw the most interest. Currently popular, says Watson, are career growth, working, and self-management. “Self-management gets a lot of attention,” he explains, “because many students put emphasis on owning

S-PACing a PunchStudent-run conferences focus on nontechnical skills

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MWIE.2009.932513

Watson’s career planning

workshops at Ohio State

University are well attended.

1986 University of Michigan S-PAC.

Watson takes a moment

with Jennifer Kramer and

other student planners.

JUNE 2009 IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE 31

their own businesses someday.” During the conference, notable guest speakers may make presentations, participate in panel discussions with alumni, or eat lunch with the students.

For students, the benefits of partici-pating in an S-PAC go far beyond the tips they receive on the matters being discussed. By meeting their guest speak-ers, students can begin building their networks at an early stage, an invaluable opportunity for those new to the working world. They also see first-hand the type of mentoring that is available to them in all areas of the engineering community and within the IEEE. “It’s a good way to dem-onstrate that the organization provides support and value to the students,” con-firms Watson. “We usually see momen-tum rise after the conference—students become more active, they recruit new members.” In fact, Watson admits that he left the IEEE after graduating Pur-due University, but joined again ten years later when he was told about the vast international network. Now, he travels the country speaking at S-PACs about preparing students for life as an engineer and has participated in 258 conferences at nearly 130 universities since 1982.

For those students who help plan the S-PAC, the advantages multiply. Work-ing on the planning committee, they exercise important skills like teamwork, time management, communication, and organization. The students also have to put together a budget and secure fund-ing for their expenses. But the tremen-dous learning experience continues to give back—by distinguishing a student’s resume. “I’ve known circumstances where the deciding factor for a job was that one student had coordinated one of these conferences, and that’s why he was hired,” Watson reveals.

If hosting an S-PAC sounds daunt-ing, rest assured that there is help for the students. Once a year, students can attend a conference held by the regional IEEE Student Activities Committees where they are given information on the planning process. The first step? Contact the S-PAC committee representative in your region. That regional representative

TOP TIPS FOR STUDENTS ENTERING THE WORKFORCE 1) Define personal and professional visions (and put them in writing). Students need to sit down

and give serious thought as to what they want to do. Not only professionally, but personally:

what you want to do for yourself and how your family and your career fit into that. This can be a

little harder for women because sometimes you wind up with more family responsibility, but it is

that much more important.

2) Develop and implement a dynamic career plan and do it early. Students think careers start when

they graduate but this is not true. Career management should start the day you walk into your

first university class, or even before that.

3) Have a lifelong learning plan to keep technical skills up to date. You really can’t stop learning as

an engineer. Technologies are always changing, and you must keep up-to-date technically.

4) Balance technical skills with nontechnical skills. This is where the S-PAC comes in. A lot of stu-

dents don’t realize this is important, but it is.

5) Become an ACTIVE member of professional organizations. IEEE retains about one out of five

students as a member after they graduate. Though you will be busy when you start your career,

remember that you will still need these organizations for networking.

6) Build a large personal and professional network. The Internet offers some really nice tools to

help you do this. However, the most important networking opportunities typically are found in

active participation in professional organizations, conferences, and other meetings.

7) Communicate effectively. This includes reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Your career

success is directly proportional to your ability to communicate.

8) Complete a master’s degree in engineering as soon as possible. Stay in school. Once you

leave school, it’s really hard to go back. You really need the skills and technical information you

develop and acquire in a thesis-based master’s degree program. I have not earned a master’s

degree, and yet, it would have been a very powerful asset to my career.

9) Take reasonable risks, don’t be afraid to fail, and always learn from failure.

10) Become a registered professional engineer. Complete the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering)

and the PE (Professional Engineer) exams. Passing these exams does not necessarily make us

better engineers, but this is a sign of professionalism and many engineering positions require a

registered professional engineer license.

Students should see their first job as a way to get into the market, not necessarily as their dream job.

This is another reason to get your master’s degree immediately. It will occupy you for one to two years

while the economy changes. The salary you lose while in school will quickly be made up with the oppor-

tunities for advancement and significantly increased earnings that the added degree provides.

—Jim Watson

Dr. Charles K. Alexander, who organized the first two S-PACs in 1979, holds court during Youngstown State University’s 2006 S-PAC.

(continued on page 40)

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE JUNE 2009 40

on the CO2 project. Her team constantly works with other ADCO teams in the implementation process. The project is fairly complex espe-cially as carbon diox-ide is quite corrosive and not easy to han-dle. On completion of the project by the end of 2009, ADCO will be the first in the Middle East to implement such a pilot and will be looking to launch a full-scale project. “Launching the CO2 project and working out all the chal-lenges of implementing it is the most interesting thing that I have done while working in the industry,” she says.

Ghaniya is a member of Society of Petroleum Engi-

neers (SPE), Society of Core Analysts (SCA), and Society of Well Log Analyst (SPWLA). As the first female res-ervoir engineer in the UAE, she has crossed

several hurdles. She says of being a pioneer,

“in order to get credibil-ity in a man’s world, you have to

prove yourself technically—you require a technical advantage to gain respect from your peers. You have to work hard…very hard.” She had to work twice as hard to prove that women are an asset to the industry. “I now feel responsible to

maintain a role model status. Together with other women in the industry and in association with the Society of Petroleum Engineers, she has begun organizing workshops to discuss the issues of young women professionals in the oil industry, she says.

Ghaniya often participates by giv-ing talks and lectures in major oil and gas workshops and conferences to dis-cuss technical aspects of enhanced oil recovery.

In the future, she hopes to work in more novel technologies that would bring benefit to the UAE and sustain its oil production for a long time into the future.

will help the students move forward by showing them where they can find rel-evant contacts and resources, such as how to get in touch with national guest speakers. The IEEE also funds the travel expenses for the speakers so, while stu-dents are responsible for funding their S-PAC, this large expense is covered for them. Throughout the process, the regional representative is available to provide advice, ideas, and suggestions as needed.

Watson points out that some of the best student coordinators have been female. “When I have worked with women, I have found them as good or better than most of the men,” he laughs, citing as reasons their aptitudes at fol-lowing through, paying attention to details, and communicating. “I would certainly like to see more women involved in engineering and I think S-PACs encourages that.”

As a mentor, Jim Watson is an ideal person to ask for advice. After a career with Ohio Edison Company where he held numerous engineering and manage-ment positions, Watson devoted his time to consulting on career management as the head of Watson Associates. He has

been recognized for his volunteerism and devotion to student career develop-ment with numerous awards, including the IEEE Pace Innovation Award, the IEEE Third Millennium Medal and the IEEE-USA 2001 Citation of Honor. In response to these honors, Watson hum-bly says, “They were very nice. When peers recognize something you do, it’s always nice.” But, he adds, “to be honest, my satisfaction in life is to see that we are having a positive impact on the stu-dents. A lot of people helped me and this has been a way for me to give back to our future engineering community. I’ve had a lot of fun with the IEEE.” Currently, Watson is working with Dr. Charles K. Alexander, IEEE’s 1997 International President, on a book for college students about nontechnical skills and how engi-neers can incorporate them into their careers. With the fledgling job market today, students should give thanks for all the help they can get.

For more information on S-PACs visit: http://www.ieeeusa.org/volunteers/committees/spac/.

—Leslie Prives

Pipelining(Continued from page 31)

“You have to work hard...very hard. I now feel responsible to

maintain a role model status.”