Please visit IEEE Sacramento Valley Website
From the editor
Sacramento Events
Carrer Seminars
Cartoons
Quotes on Business
Importance of being a Licenced Engineer
Steps to Becoming a P.E.
Details about TISP
 

 
 

              March 2008

From the Editor
Dr Suresh Vadhva

Welcome to the IEEE Sacramento section newsletter for March 2008. In March of 2008 we are having one event. The event is on the 10th of March, this event is organized by  I

EEE, ASI & the CSUS, College of Engineering and Computer Science, has is a Career Fair where more than 125 employers will be coming from business, industry and government organizations.

I hope you find this Newsletter to be a valuable resource and I welcome any comments or suggestions contact me at: sacieee@gaia.csus.edu
IEEE:
PO Box 2736,
Rancho Cordova, CA - 95741

  

            Sacramento Events

Career Fair 2008

-- 125+ Employers!!!

-- Engineering and Computer Science Employers from Business, Industry and Government.

-- Great Career Seminars:

Date: Monday, MARCH 10th, 2008
Time: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Venue:  University Union, BallRoom, California State University, Sacramento

IEEE’s Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Training Workshop!

Date: Friday-Saturday, April 4-5, 2008
Time: 4:30 - 7:30 PM
Venue:  the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel.

Travel Expenses Paid By IEEE for qualified participants

 
 

CAREER SEMINARS:
March 10th 2008, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
University Union, California State University, Sacramento.

Seminars:

1)By: Josue Martinez, Project Engineer • PG&E, Sacramento
PG&E – Leading the charge: Building and maintaining Northern California’s energy infrastructure to deliver clean safe energy with smart technology. Learn about Advanced Metering Infrastructure.

9.00 AM Forest Ste.

 

2)By:Rich Layne,Software Engineer• Chipset Group, Intel<
Inside Intel: A view from the inside of the world leader of silicon innovation. A CS alum discusses new graphics and processor technology, outsourcing, and what it takes to succeed in the global workforce

9.45 AM Orchard Ste.

 

 

 

3)By:Joe Fischer, Air Resources Engineer • CA Air Resources BD
Inspiring the world to develop cutting-edge technologies to clean our air and fight global warming. Alum will share info on the technical challenge, good salaries and friendly work culture.

 

10.45AM, March 10th

 

 

Foothill Ste., University Union, CSUS

 

4)By:Sally Bennett, IT Recruiting Manager • CA Franchise Tax Bd
Changing Technology at Franchise Tax Board: Engineering, telecommunication, data management and networking all come together to create career opportunities.

01.15PM, March 10th

Forest Ste., University Union, CSUS

 

5)By:John Rogers, Program Manager/ Sr Bridge Engineer • Caltrans
Caltrans is hiring engineers to rebuild California’s complex and aging transportation systems.

 01.30 PM, March 10th Orchard Ste., University Union, CSUS

 

6)By:Claudia Willis, Sr. Technical Director • AT&T
AT&T:- Developing Phone Mobility and Linking You with Your World. Learn how AT&T provides end-to-end solutions and telecommunication services, including wireline, mobility and entertainment services.

02.30 PM, March 10th Foothill Ste.,University Union, CSUS
 
Contents:
Editors Comments.................................................................................... 1
Sacramento Events.................................................................................. 1
Seminars..................................................................................................... 2
Cartoons - Spam ....................................................................................... 3
Quotes on bussiness ............................................................................... 3
Get a License! © Cici Mattiuzzi............................................................... 4
Abstract & Detail about TISP................................................................ 5
 

Driving directions to CSUS

 

  
 

Cartoons

 

 
Quotes on Business.

Nation of shopkeepers. Author: Unattributed Author

There is nothing more requisite in business than dispatch. Author: Joseph Addison

Talk of nothing but business, and dispatch that business quickly. Author: Manutius Aldus (Aldo Manuzio)

Business tomorrow. Author: Archias of Thebes

Come home to men's business and bosoms. Author: Francis Bacon

There's no business like show business. Author: Irving Berlin

The soul's Rialto hath its merchandise, I barter for curl upon that mart. Author: Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Business dispatched is business well done, but business hurried is business ill done.

When we speak of the commerce with our colonies, fiction lags after truth, invention is unfruitful, and imagination cold and barren. Author: Edmund Burke

In matters of commerce the fault of the Dutch Is offering too little and asking too much. The French are with equal advantage content-- So we clap on Dutch bottoms just 20 per cent. Author: George Canning

Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee. Light gains make heavy purses. 'Tis good to be merry and wise. Author: George Chapman

Despatch is the soul of business. Author: Philip Dormer Stanhope

You foolish man, you don't even know your own foolish business. - Philip Dormer Stanhope, fourth Earl of Chesterfield, Author: Philip Dormer Stanhope

This business will never hold water. Author: Colley Cibber
 
  Get a License! © Cici Mattiuzzi
The Importance of being a Licensed Engineer © Cici Mattiuzzi
By Cici Mattiuzzi, Director, Career Services Office
College of Engineering & Computer Science
CSU, Sacramento

When things are great in the labor market people think it will last forever. Unfortunately that is never the case. Having a backup plan is required. One of the most important things you can do regardless of your major is to have a professional license. It gives you the ability to work in more environments and it allows you to slip from industry to government to self-employment with ease. You need to have job options in order to have income security. A professional license gives you those options.

Over time it is also important to have a license for your career growth. For engineers, many organizations will sort candidates based on whether they have an Engineering-in-Training (EIT) at the bachelor’s level and for experienced engineers the Professional Engineer license (PE). The EIT leads to the PE as you acquire “qualifying experience” and pass an exam. For computer professionals, many employers are looking for Project Management (PM) certification.

With many government agencies you cannot even apply for an engineering position if you do not have an EIT. In order to advance beyond staff engineer (or to be referred to as an engineer) in many jobs, licensing is required. Without reasonable progress to the PE in other organizations you will be terminated.

Not all jobs require licensing. Some companies have an “Industrial Exemption”. With an Industrial Exemption engineers working at the company don’t need to be licensed. However, a number of engineers needing to change jobs find it difficult to shift industries without an engineering license. I have had numerous engineers employed in the electronics industry tell me that when they were trying to move into a government agency after a layoff they were passed over because they failed to take the EIT exam. Private industry tends to run hot and cold so you need to be prepared to explore opportunities in government or private practice.

 

   Passing the PE is a challenge. It is also difficult to pass the EIT, more so with the passage of time after graduation. The pass rates for California averages around a 40% pass rate for the FE/EIT and PE according to the CA Board of Registration. For the Electrical PE the pass rate hovers around 20% and has gone as low as 11% in some years. To pass the exams, a score of at least 70% is needed. It is not hard to understand why people do not pass the exam. THIS IS A DIFFICULT EXAM YET only 20% of test takers prepare for the exam by taking a review course.

It is certainly not difficult to find a review course. In addition, the CA Society of Professional Engineers offers seminars and review courses for the FE/EIT and PE exams.

Steps to Becoming a P.E.

1. Acquire a Bachelors (BS) or a Masters (MS) engineering degree from an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology www.abet.org) accredited school. You will receive four years of credit for your PE by graduating from an accredited university.

2. Take the FE, the first exam on the way to a professional license is the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE). The FE exam is often refereed to as the “EIT” exam. Once the FE exam is passed, an Engineer In Training (EIT) license is issued. Take the FE in your junior or senior year when the information is still fresh. If it has been awhile since taking engineering courses, a more extensive review is needed. Professional review courses are tailored for people who have been out of college for some time.

3. Rack up qualifying years of experience. After working in an engineering position for the requisite number of years, take the Professional Engineer (PE) exam. Time required varies based upon education, discipline, and state. Exams are grouped by discipline (CE, ME, EE, etc.). To pass the PE exam, a review course is highly recommended.














 
 

Abstract and Details About TISP

 

Topic:IEEE’s Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Training Workshop!
When: Friday-Saturday, April 4-5, 2008
Time: 4:30 - 7:30 PM
Where: the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel.

 

 

Abstract

Started in 2001, TISP features IEEE volunteers developing and presenting technologically oriented subject matter to educators in a professional development or “in-service” setting. In the last several years, IEEE volunteers have made more than 50 presentations to over 1800 pre-university educators within the United States, Asia and Africa. These educators reach over 175,000 students! There are a number of pre-planned classroom activities that you could use in a classroom setting.

The workshop will cover how to organize volunteers for TISP and how to bring the program to teachers in your local schools and school districts. Thanks to the support of IEEE USA and the IEEE Educational Activities Board the event is free for all IEEE members and invited educators! (there will be a $75 fee for non-IEEE members). IEEE will reimburse members for travel-related expenses for this workshop.

The event will begin on Friday, 4 April at 4:30 pm with a 2 hour presentation followed by a dinner at 7:30 pm.

On Saturday, 5 April, the event will run from 9:00 am to approximately 4:00 pm in the Terrace Ballroom. It will include hands-on presentations, a question and answer period as well as discussion on numerous topics such as: program background and scope, getting started, potential costs to sections and educators, suggestions on making contact with your local pre-university community, and the alignment of an activity with educational standards. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

The goal of the training session is to impact at least 1,000 pre-university educators in Region 6 and to help IEEE volunteers implement TISP in their local pre-university education communities.

During an actual TISP presentation, IEEE volunteers provide teachers with all needed materials and help them work their way through the lesson. Working together helps the teachers to feel more comfortable teaching the activity. The goal is for the teachers to bring the strategy back to their classrooms and use the lesson to excite their students.

For more information on this upcoming TISP training session or TISP participation, please contact Doug Gorham, Managing Director of Educational Activities, +1 732 562 5483, d.g.gorham@ieee.org, or Carole Levy, Director of Educational Outreach, +1 732 562 5488, c.levy@ieee.org.