Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1454922
64 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2022 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE Matties: You're currently a junior in college, and you're doing an internship or recently had done an internship at Caterpillar? Tell me about that experience. Nelson: I interned with Caterpillar Inc., last summer and will do the same this summer as well. I am also in the parallel co-op program where I worked 10 hours a week while going to school; it was honestly amazing, such a great experience. I met so many incredible people, conducted so many informational interviews to learn about the diverse paths we can take in electronics, and then I was given my own project where I worked on an electrical con- nector publication that is now published on the Caterpillar website. It was incredible to have an experience like that as a junior. I never thought that was possible, and now I'm doing quality analysis during the school year, finding the cause and effect of different problems, and then this next summer I'll be working on field testing on construction equipment. Matties: Do you think the education you got at this school was a foundation, or was it just mis- aligned to what the real-world needs are? Nelson: I honestly feel like it missed the mark because a lot of my classes did not really line up to what my job was, and I understand I was an intern and doing entry level work, but I watched my managers work and it was nothing like I've ever seen before. Matties: How did that leave you feeling about your path in the school system? Nelson: It was discouraging, thinking about the education we have going on right now in our engineering classes. It made me like engi- neering a lot more, but it also disheartened me because they're almost using education as a weed-out system, discouraging people away from engineering because these classes are just so difficult; they're so rigorous and people don't really want to take classes that they're stressed out in. I believe we need to figure out what the disconnect is and how to overcome that. Matties: Right. Paige, you've graduated, I believe? Fiet: Yes, I graduated in December from Michi- gan Tech. Matties: Great, and what are you doing cur- rently? Fiet: I just started a job at TTM Technologies in Logan, Utah. I am a process engineer in the solder mask department. Matties: As a process engineer, what's your function there? Fiet: My job is to do some R&D in my depart- ment. It's to keep our yields up above our 99.25% limit. Matties: at's a tall order, right? Fiet: Yes. I engage with the operators daily. I'm always on the floor. I couldn't love it more. Matties: at's great. Why did you choose cir- cuit board manufacturing? Fiet: I just think circuit boards are so unique. Each one is different and has different processes to make them. It's just crazy to me how we can streamline that process, and I really enjoy the variety each day and how much I interact with people. You're always busy. You're always up and moving. I've really enjoyed it. Matties: You were coming in at an interesting time. We just listened to John Mitchell's key- note about the factory of the future, and you