Some 8,000 university students at over 60 universities and technical colleges and around 4,000 young professionals are networked throughout Germany in the VDE YoungNet. Regional groups and cross-regional teams plan and carry out projects and organize a variety of local events, ranging from excursions to soft skills seminars. For YoungNet, the highlight of the year was its convention at the Microsystems Congress in Dresden. The convention offered students an overview of microsystems technologies, a company marketplace for initial job contacts, and valuable tips for taking the right steps in a career. A 2007 VDE study shows that the VDE young professionals are quite positive about their future: Four out of five see good or excellent career prospects, and nine out of ten see themselves “better positioned” for jobs than students in other fields. 38 percent of those asked named Germany as the country offering the best technological progress and innovation, followed by 36 percent for the U.S. and 9 percent for Japan.