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74 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2021 capture his local chapter activities. From the start of PCEA and throughout the pandemic of 2020, Scott worked with chapter members and industry educators to create a PCEA YouTube channel to spread educational pre- sentations. Message from the Chairman by Stephen Chavez, MIT, CID+ is month's topic on education is a good one. I feel it's important for many of us, espe- cially those of us involved in printed circuit engineering, fabrication, assembly, and testing of PCBs. For me, continued education/profes- sional development is a must to stay relevant and competitive within our industry. When I think of this topic, there are a few things that immediately pop into my mind. First, "Who's responsible for your continued education and professional development?" Is it your employer? Is it you as an individual? ese are questions I hear, and they are debated oen. Overall, I get mixed responses. Some say it's your employer's responsibility to provide continuing education and professional devel- opment, while others say that it's ultimately your own responsibility. I strongly feel it's you as an individual who is ultimately responsible for your own continuing education and profes- sional development, not your employer. I also feel that a good company in today's industry will view their employees as their own internal best assets and best long-term investments to be successful. erefore, such companies will provide opportunities and look for creative ways to provide continuing education and professional development for their employees so that the company will get its best return on investment for the overall success of the company. is also helps to cultivate a positive culture and working environment so that the potential for long term success is most likely to be achieved. Sadly, not every company takes this approach. e negative side of a company not providing these opportunities may potentially lead to a slowdown or lack of evolution, longer than normal project schedules, excessive budgets, and in worse cases, a high employee turnover rate leading to lack of long-term company suc- cess. For those who feel that it's their employer's responsibility to provide for continuing educa- tion, they are at the mercy of their company for their individual evolution, which may happen at a slower pace, not at all. is will definitely have a negative impact on the company as well. It becomes a double negative. No one wins if both the company and the employee feel they are not responsible for continuing education and professional development. Here's my advice: Take ownership of your own continuing education and professional development, whether your company pro- vides the opportunity or not. Invest in your- self because you are your own best asset. In today's industry, especially as we have adapted and evolved during the pandemic, there are so many opportunities to take advantage of. Between all the available online webinars and course offerings, to the many conferences now getting back to "face-to-face" engagements, there is simply so much more opportunity today than there was a decade ago. Stephen Chavez