IEEE Computer Society

[MasterRacker]

Is anyone here a current or past member of the IEEE Computer Society? If so, can you throw out some real-world pros & cons?
Jeff
Working in IT is like trying to commit suicide with a very small hammer ....

 

[SteveTheGeek]

You got one of those in the mail too, eh?
-Steve

 

[mainepe]

I'm a Senior Member of the IEEE, a member of the Power Engineering Society and the Communications Society, as well as a former chair of both societies' chapters in my region. While not a member of the Computer Society, and thus not as familiar with its specific publications and activities relative to the other two societies, I can offer insight into its general benefits.

I've found the benefits of membership to be highly dependent on the viability and energy of the regions and chapters. If you're blessed enough to have a local chapter that's energetic and active, you can expect frequent professional development opportunities in the form of chapter meetings and workshops, as well as possibly publications. If this is not the case, you're unlikely to feel like you're deriving as many direct benefits, unless your focus is more on participating in the annual international conferences.

Get hold of your local chapter's web address (you should be able to find this on ieee.org), and check out their meeting schedule, posted documents, etc. to determine this.

The "IEEE Spectrum" monthly magazine and its companion publication "The Institute" provide survey-level coverage of emerging EE technologies/practices, and professional development/career maintenance considerations, respectively. These are targeted toward the professionally-practicing EE, so to the extent one is an EE practicing in IT (like myself), you may/may not find this information duplicates some of what you're already probably getting from other sources. I like them as addenda to the IT marketplace resources that I'm exposed to because of their focus on the professional engineer (not necessarily PE, though), which I don't get out of the IT marketplace; your situation may be different, though.

As noted above, if you're affiliated with a good chapter, there are likely similar locally-originated publications as well, that focus on the same themes closer to home.

IEEE members also gain access to the plethora of resources behind ieee.org, too many to list here. These range from salary surveys, discounts on purchase of standards documents and other IEEE publications, consolidated reporting on conference schedules and transactions, and much, much more. Check out the "Member Benefits and Services" link off the Computer Society home page on ieee.org for additional information.

There are also a ton of self-paced learning materials available for professional development; you can view these through ieee.org as well. While at first glance these may not appear all that unique relative to what's out on the web for free, bear in mind that IEEE's site is a refereed site, something that can't be said for just about all of the rest of Internet-space.

Enough rambling; this probably sounds like a puff-piece, and on re-reading I guess it is--probably for good reason, as I think it's a great organization.

 

[skautsch]

I belong to the IEEE Computer Society. I have not had time to attend meetings or conferences, which is probably the primary benefit.
If you join, however, be *sure* to subscribe to the extra journal "Software" edited by Steve McConnell. IMHO, this is the best software magazine in existence and is my chief justification for keeping my membership current. The sub is an extra $30-50 (can't remember exactly) but is well worth it. The other magazines vary widely in relevance. The membership magazine, "Computer", is pretty good.

Stewart Kautsch, New Jersey