Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1400005
30 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2021 and a growth in design experience for a young team. e decision was made to keep the project internal, and I was given the opportunity to increase my knowledge of PCB design, as well as the ECAD tool that would make it possible. Slowly, the team grew with new members bringing varied experiences and innovative ideas to the table. is provided fresh perspec- tives on the use of our soware tool, as well as general and advanced design concepts. is was vital to my professional development, as each designer has a unique method of rout- ing and solving design problems. Spending a morning or aernoon watching how some- one else uses the same design tool you do can show you new shortcuts or design methods for resolving obstacles. Sadly, all great things come to an end, and decisions made from on high meant that our Canadian research and development team was restructured, which meant that my position was no longer required. ankfully, I now had nearly three years of experience to assist me with finding my next position. At this point, I reached out to the network of industry con- tacts I had developed through the various proj- ects from my career thus far. is included looking into the companies we had considered for the system architecture project. I reached out to one of those companies and was invited for an interview. When they offered me a position, I decided to accept. I took this opportunity to reflect on my experience, professional learning, and the industry to discern a path forward in my career. As a hardware designer/engineer, I would have options for moving into manage- ment positions or I could stay in a technical role and start to specialize. While I knew it was too early in my career to be making these deci- sions, I knew that I wanted to have a clear goal to be working toward. Having a clear goal of becoming a technical specialist in PCB design allowed me to focus my energy on professional learning and devel- opment. Having co-workers with skills in other design areas allowed for a sharing of knowl- edge and a sounding board for complex situ- ations. Learning all I could from co-workers, as well as watching any teaching information I could find online, helped to increase my design knowledge. is thirst for knowledge brought me to collaborate with, and learn from, col- leagues from other departments. is gave me the chance to understand integration from both the mechanical and soware perspective, bringing new insights to my hardware designs. Today, I am now a full-time self-employed entrepreneur running my own business. While my current responsibilities are greater and more varied than in previous positions, the one that has always been my highest priority is my commitment to professional growth and learn- ing. When working for a company, you need to seek out challenges and push for training in whatever capacity you can find. You should never stop learning and trying to improve your- self. Just because you don't need it now, does not mean you won't need it in the future. Every step forward in that direction will enable you to become a great designer. DESIGN007 Tomas Chester is founder and hardware designer with Chester Electronic Design in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Spending a morning or afternoon watching how someone else uses the same design tool you do can show you new short- cuts or design methods for resolving obstacles.