Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/461203
52 The PCB Design Magazine • February 2015 large board were working the studio produc- tion. I was told to go and sit at that smaller con- trol board to keep me out of the way. You don't have to be a child psychologist to guess what happened next. I was alone, unsu- pervised, and sitting in front of a control panel that held millions of levers, knobs, and but- tons. I can still hear the very thought that ran through my mind that day: "It won't hurt to push just one." Of course my eye was attracted to one of the buttons that was lit up (circuit enabled), and I pushed it. Immediately the greater Portland area was without sound for their favorite afternoon TV show on KOIN. And unlike to- day, when there are hundreds of different programming op- tions to pick from, back then there were only the three big networks and a couple of in- dependent stations. So what I did had a profound impact. I was too young to under- stand the seriousness of what I had done, but I still knew that I shouldn't have done it. Through the glass partition that separated the two con- trol boards, I could see my fa- ther's head snap up to check the line monitor, then over to check the on-air monitor, and then down to look at me. Up to that point I can clearly re- member the events, but after that I don't remember a thing. It's a fair guess though that I was in really big trouble. Now if this was a parenting magazine, I would probably talk about disci- pline, trust, and keeping a tight rein on your child so they don't unexpectedly disable TV entertainment for tens of thousands of people. But since it's not, instead I'm going to simply say, "Push the button, Max!" Does this mean that I am advocating disre- spect for authority? Of course not. I believe that children should honor their parents and do their best to be obedient. But as adults, sometimes we need to jump off into the deep end and take a chance on something that is completely out of our comfort zone. Sometimes you just need to push the button and see what happens. Towards the beginning of my career as a circuit board designer, I was working as a temp employee at a large company. They offered me a permanent position and made a lot of promises, but those promises were attached to a lot of un- attractive conditions. The range of design tech- nology was limited and the career path they of- fered was not very appealing. But the security of a full-time position was a very tempt- ing reason to sign on, and I seri- ously considered it. On the oth- er hand, though there was this little service bureau that didn't offer the best salary, benefits or security. But the variety of different design opportuni- ties that this job offered was fantastic. So my choice was to either stay where it would be safe, or make the risky jump. I pushed the button, took the chance, and was rewarded with a plethora of rich oppor- tunities to enhance my skill set and design experiences. At another point in my work history I was enjoying success as a department man- ager, but as time went by the company started to change. The momentum of the compa- ny shifted, my job description was changed, and I could see that my dream of a long career with this company was coming to an end. I could have elected to stay where I was and tough it out for a while, but I decided to move on to a new position with a new company. It was a different company, a different work environment, and I was doing something very new which made it all very in- timidating. As it turns out, this new job didn't last for very long and less than two years later I was off again seeking something else. But forcing myself to jump into the un- known when I did helped me to learn to think PUSH THE BUTTOn, MAX continues tim's takeaways I was too young to understand the serious- ness of what I had done, but I still knew that I shouldn't have done it. through the glass partition that separated the two control boards, I could see my father's head snap up to check the line monitor, then over to check the on-air monitor, and then down to look at me. " "