The IEEE Rio de Janeiro Young Professionals organized a 2-day STEP program in December of 2013. The event was held in the amphitheater of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Open to all undergraduate senior students including non-IEEE members, the main objective of the event was to inform students about the various career paths they could choose after graduation.

First-day panelists at the IEEE STEP event in Rio de Janeiro
The event was organized as panel sessions, with each panelist given 15 to 20 minutes to talk about his or her professional journey. After the speeches completed, the event became an open forum where students could ask questions.

On the first day of the event, three young entrepreneurs were invited to discuss their careers and their reasons for choosing those careers. The main discussion point was “why and how did you become an entrepreneur?” The panelists also discussed the challenges they faced in their careers. The following speakers were invited: Ms. Andressa Sivolella, owner of the Twist Company; Mr. Ricardo Clemente, patron of the Intelie Company; and Dr. Mamour Sop Ndiaye, owner of Africa Arte.

Second-day panelists at the IEEE STEP event in Rio de Janeiro
On the second day, the session comprised four young researchers, two from the GE Global Research Centre in Brazil and two from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). All of them discussed their careers in detail and highlighted the differences between academia and industry. The second-day panelists were: Dr. Debora Reis from the GE Global Research Centre, Dr. Rodrigo Salim from the GE Global Research Centre, Dr. Guilherme Rolim from UFRJ, and Dr. Robson Dias from UFRJ.

Overall, the event was a success and we are looking forward to organizing our next STEP event.

Article contributed by Robson Dias, IEEE Rio de Janeiro Section Young Professionals Chair