Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1004549
JULY 2018 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 9 Andy Shaughnessy is managing editor of Design007 Magazine. He has been covering PCB design for 18 years. He can be reached by clicking here. most of the young designers I've met recently are engineers, electrical or otherwise. Is there a future for the "pureplay" non-degreed PCB designer? As our featured contributors explain in this month's issue, you have to go directly to the young people, because they're not going to find us. Some companies have set up pro- grams with nearby universities, and others visit high schools or get involved with Maker Faire events, or sponsor a team of students for a robot competition. We all need to be mis- sionaries, doing whatever we can do to spread the gospel of PCB design to the unconverted. It helps to think big. This year's IPC APEX EXPO intro- duced quite a few young peo- ple the PCB community. IPC's Design Program Manager Nancy Jaster invited stu- dents from two San Diego high schools to attend the expo as part of the organization's new STEM Outreach program. The students were every- where, talking to attendees and exhibitors and staring wide-eyed at the machines on display. You can bet that most of these kids had no idea that this industry even existed before this visit. Also during IPC APEX EXPO, we invited photography majors to participate in our I-Connect007 Student Photo Contest. The students shot 750 photos during the show, many of them professional quality shots. They fleshed out their portfolios and learned a lot about circuit boards. This is what it takes. We have to go to where the young people are and tell them all about this industry that we love, because they're not going to find us on their own. Our first feature is an interview with Fair- field Geotechnologies' Susy Webb, who has been teaching her class "The Basics of PCB Design" at PCB West for years. Over time, Susy's attendees have switched from a room- ful of designers to almost entirely engineers, so we asked for her thoughts and a few stories about educating the next generation of PCB designers. Next is an article by Mike Creeden, CID+, of San Diego PCB. Mike discusses the "changing of the guard," some misconceptions that man- agers have regarding the art of PCB layout, and why asking electrical engineers to design today's high-speed PCBs may be easier said than done. Our third feature is an interview with Mentor's Paul Musto, who explained the company's relationship with universities, and the need for designers to have an exhaustive knowledge of the fabrica- tion process, which many electri- cal engineers may lack as they start designing boards. Columnist Tim Haag channels Peter, Paul and Mary by asking, "Where have all the designers gone?" He discusses the need for the "old guard" of PCB design- ers to pass on their knowledge to the youngsters, and some of the ways the job require- ments for a designer have evolved over the years. And in a feature interview, Bryan LaPointe and Dan Fernsebner of Cadence Design Sys- tems explain how designers of Generation Z will differ from their predecessors, and what can be done to bring more smart, young peo- ple into the design community. We also have columns from regular contrib- utors Barry Olney and Phil Kinner, as well as a great technical article from Yuriy Shlepnev, president of Simberian Inc. No one knows exactly what the next-gen PCB designer will look like, but change is com- ing. And isn't change one of the best things about your job? Never a dull moment! See you next month. DESIGN007