Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1183414
LaPointe: The biggest challenge I see for PCB designers right now is the growing complex- ity of their jobs. Engineers and designers are continually being asked to take on more roles, perform more duties, and learn more tools and technologies. Shaughnessy: What is your favorite part of your job or this industry? LaPointe: The best part about being a product engineer has to be the immediate feedback and impact I get from the market. When a product engineer does something well, the EDA world benefits as a whole and the product engineer sees and feels the buzz and excitement. If I had to choose one thing about the EDA indus- try that really excites me, the best part comes from its cultural and experiential diversity. The EDA industry has been responsible for pulling together more countries, people, and cultures than perhaps any other in the world. Shaughnessy: I hadn't thought about that, but you're right. So, what new technologies are you interested in? LaPointe: I am most interested in augment- ed reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) tech- Bryan LaPointe: A Great Time to Be Working With Technology Feature Interview by Andy Shaughnessy I-CONNECT007 I recently interviewed Bryan LaPointe, a product engineer with Cadence Design Sys- tems, and one of the younger people in the world of PCB design and EDA tools. I asked Bryan to discuss some of the challenges tech- nologists are facing in PCB design and engi- neering, as well as some of the things that make this field so exciting right now. Andy Shaughnessy: Hi, Bryan. Give us a quick background about yourself and your time in PCB design and the EDA world. Bryan LaPointe: My journey into the EDA world started seven years ago after graduating col- lege. I decided to put my forensic science de- gree aside and began working as an intern, designing PCBs in New Hampshire. That in- ternship morphed into a full-time position as a PCB designer, presenter, and trainer before finding my current position at Cadence Design Systems as a product engineer. Since then, I've spent much of my time branching out to learn new areas of the EDA industry and even fin- ished my M.S. degree in psychology. Shaughnessy: What do you see as the biggest challenge right now for PCB designers and de- sign engineers? 24 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2019