Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1400005
AUGUST 2021 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 15 board and it really wouldn't make a difference. But that hasn't been the case for more than 20 years. It's increasingly more of an issue as time goes on, because electronics are changing dra- matically, and if you're not keeping up, you're falling behind. You just can't rest on your lau- rels; you have to continue to learn. Shaughnessy: Today's designers also need to know some of these so-called so skills, like communication and problem-solving. Happy Holden has written about the need for engi- neers to develop their problem-solving skills. Does anybody teach communication for designers? Happy Holden: Yes. HP sent me to a three-day class on communication that's still taught today. e class gave me tools, techniques, and methodologies that were much more sophisti- cated and complete than I had thought about. Webb: You absolutely must be able to problem- solve and make decisions in the engineering field, and there's not always somebody there to help answer questions. ere are thou- sands of questions and decisions to be made throughout the process, so it is very important to keep learning and understanding the infor- mation that you're working with. Hopefully, there are still some mentors out there, people who are ready to help new designers. People contact me all the time on LinkedIn and say, "I have a question…" and I am happy to help as I know how hard it can be to put all the pieces together. Hopefully, young designers can still find someone who understands these concepts and be able to trust them about the pros and cons of your design. I not only talk about the engineering con- cepts when I'm teaching, but I like to show tons of pictures in my classes because it's important to have the attendees see what I'm talking about, since I can't design a board live for them. I try to put in examples; if you ori- ent the part this way, you'll get this result, but if you orient the part that way, you might get much better results, because of this or that. It's important to explain "why." I cover as much as possible, from the engineering and manufac- turing concepts to the practical implementa- tion of them. Shaughnessy: Some designers have predicted that in the future, each designer is going to have to be a specialist instead of a generalist. What do you think? Webb: I am not sure what they are specifically talking about. People are learning more about things like physics, how to do simulation, the concerns that are needed for design-for-man- ufacturability, or how to create good library parts and maintain a good library management system. But in the jobs that I have seen on LinkedIn or others, the listings require more of a generalist. ey tend to want everything from the person they are trying to hire. ey want him or her to be an engineer, a scientist, and a designer, while understanding DFM. So, even if a person is going to focus on a spe- cific area of expertise, I think they really must understand all the areas, because as a board designer, you have to understand how every- thing affects everything else. Holden: Yes. ere are a lot of common skills, but people who become experts in HDI might not be experts on flex or rigid-flex. Webb: Exactly. As a general designer, you must understand HDI and materials—not to the same level that somebody who specializes in They tend to want everything from the person they are trying to hire.