Decision points in career and life: being a volunteer

During life there are decision points which can dramatically influence the future direction of our lives. Unlike typical scientific experiments there is no possibility to re-run the experiences and discover the result of making a different decision, so only speculation is available. After a discussion of the framework of these decision points, the author relates them to his own experiences as a volunteer, mainly in IEEE, and describes some opportunities which these created for him. It is based on a presentation given at an IEEE Student Branch event at University of Bath [1].