Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1053050
NOVEMBER 2018 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 37 • January 24 sponsored by Mentor, a Siemens Company • April 25 sponsored by Cadence Design Systems • July 25 sponsored by Altium • October 24 sponsored by Zuken We are looking for great speakers so feel free to volunteer! Lastly, I'd like to extend many thanks to those who attended, Ben Jordan and Judy Warner from Altium, and Amit Bahl and his team at Sierra Circuits, including Lucy, Rachel, Bianca, and Joel. _______________________________ Why CID+? by Faisal Ahmed CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS A Silicon Valley DC Chapter member—Faisal Ahmed, lead application engineer at Cadence Design Systems—took the IPC CID+ course at PCB West 2018. He shares why he pursued IPC advanced designer certification, and his thoughts on successfully achieving CID+ status. After 20 years of creating masterpieces of art with copper on glass resin, I decided to take on advanced designer certification (CID+). Many of my friends in the indus - try have asked, "Why so late and what did you achieve?" The simple answer is that having my CID+ gives me the highest possible PCB design sta- tus in the industry. One recent survey found that two-thirds of PCB designers are 51–70 years of age; astoundingly, one-fourth are 41–51, which leaves me in the youngest 10% of designers. To my friends out there, I am not late, but don't worry if you fall in the top 90%. As George Eliot said, "It's never too late." It is to your advantage to get the certification when you really know the industry and are proficient with the PCB design flow. Unlike CID certifica- tion, which is designed for anyone at any level involved in developing, designing, fabricating, and producing PCBs—from sales to manage- ment, procurement, and quality—CID+ certi- fication is designed for the advancement of the designer. The process of reviewing PCB design from new product introduction (NPI) to the end product with the fear of being tested on the content helped me focus on the material and provided me with an enhanced learning expe- rience. In product development, PCB designers are the liaison who converts electronic ideas into reality; therefore, it is critical for them to understand electronics and manufacturing. Being a CID+ is the ultimate certification for a designer, and it certifies me to be an industry professional. _______________________________ Chapter Updates San Diego, California: Bob Griffith • Status: Strong • Regular attendees: 70–75 • Meetings per year: Five (four core meetings) during lunch • Leaders: Six core executive chapter members • Events: Host city to IPC APEX EXPO 2019 Orange County, California: Scott McCurdy • Status: Strong • Regular attendees: 45–70 • Meetings: Four during lunch • Leaders: Four core executive chapter members • Successes: Lunch meetings and diverse speakers Silicon Valley, California: Bob McCreight • Status: Active • Regular attendees: 20–30 • Meetings per year: Four during lunch Seattle, Washington (Cascade Chapter): Tim Mullin • Status: Active Faisal Ahmed