Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1093246
MARCH 2019 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 47 being exposed to any introductory informa- tion in college. It was more about general tools like business, fi- nance, etc. With com- puter sciences, such as software, applications, and definitely the hard- ware side, I didn't have a chance to see any of those avenues early on, really due to lack of ex- posure. Shaughnessy: As a young person who's now part of this in- dustry and doing well, do you have any sug- gestions about ways that we can draw more young people into the industry? Johnson: It's about connecting with them as soon as you can, and I don't even mean just college. I think it should even be sooner than college. This should be in middle schools and high schools. We need to integrate more in- troductory computer science and application- based classes as early as we can. It's para- mount. Shaughnessy: That's one of the things that IPC has been trying to do for years. They want to inform high school guidance counselors about the industry because they often don't even know about it. Johnson: Absolutely. Shaughnessy: That's really where it starts be- cause later in life, other careers just seems hip- per, like being a network administrator, web designer, or in IT. Johnson: Being a programmer does seem flash- ier nowadays, unfortunately. Shaughnessy: Or they go to law school. Johnson: Right, and then they change profes- sions a year into their coursework because they want to get into tech anyway. Shaughnessy: Is there anything you want to add? What would you tell somebody who's young and considering a career in the PCB world? Johnson: Go explore now. If I could travel back in time and tell myself to explore something different, I would have gotten way more in- volved in this industry back in high school and college. Get involved in introductory classes or self-taught knowledge. Start exploring on the internet, and start using the tools that we have. There's so much free information out there; just start chipping away at it a little bit. That knowledge will do nothing but benefit you in your future career. And it doesn't mat - ter where you end up; this information is valu- able to everyone. So, start learning as soon as you can. Shaughnessy: Okay, good. Thanks, Andy. Johnson: Thank you. DESIGN007