IEEE Potentials Magazine - May/June 2018 - 45

■■The Navy taught me how to operate in high-stress envi-

ronments. Almost getting run over by an aircraft carri-
er isn't the same as recognizing that your project is get-
ting completely out of financial control, but the skill to
remain calm, quickly analyze the situation, and then
act constructively to solve the problem is needed in
both situations (albeit a little quicker in the case of the
aircraft carrier).
I should add that I have had several "first jobs" since
my time in the Navy. Not first chronologically, perhaps,
but first in the sense that they were different enough that
they forced me out of my comfort zone and into learning
new things. While waiting for my wife to finish graduate
school, I took what I thought would be a one-year tempo-
rary job with a small company in Palo Alto, California.
They wouldn't tell me what they did or who they did it for.
My mentor merely said, "Trust me. You'll love it." I did,
and that temporary job effectively sent me down the ca-
reer path that I'm still on. I worked at that first job for six
years and then went to a very different first job, teaching
electrical engineering at Cornell University. From there,
it was off to a startup in Silicon Valley, which is where I
remain even after 34 years.
My newest first job is as the president of the IEEE
Foundation, the IEEE's partner in performing philan-
thropic work in the world-as the IEEE logo says, ap-

plying "technology for the benefit of humanity." This job
is also forcing me to learn about new things, meet new
people, and solve yet a new set of problems.
A final thought: Life is all about solving problems,
and engineers are trained to do exactly that. In fact, I
claim that they do it better than almost everyone else.
So, take that thought into your first job and use those
skills. They will serve you well over your whole career-
whether that career is in engineering, in another field,
or even the U.S. Navy.

about the author
John Treichler (John.R.Treichler@raytheon.com)
earned his undergraduate degrees from Rice University
in 1970 and his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering
from Stanford University in 1977. He served as a line
officer aboard destroyers in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to
1974. Since 1977, he has worked for ARGO Systems,
taught at Stanford and Cornell University, and helped
found Applied Signal Technology, Inc. in 1984 as its
chief technical officer. He joined the IEEE in 1970 and is
a Life Fellow. He is a member of the National Academy of
Engineering and is currently the president of the IEEE
Foundation, the IEEE's philanthropic partner in invest-
ment in the IEEE's mission.

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IEEE PotEntIals

May/June 2018

■

45
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