Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1457913
32 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2022 design, having well-rounded exposure to other areas of electronics really helps you excel in complex projects. Shaughnessy: When I first started covering PCB design in the late '90s, there were no "critical paths" to becoming a designer. Is an engineering degree becoming the critical path for future designers? Callender: In many ways, a bachelor's engineer- ing degree still provides an important founda- tion and is part of that critical path for prospec- tive electronics designers. Today's designers are doing a lot more than PCB layout, so they need to have additional engineering training, and skills that go beyond use of CAD tools. Designers are participating in front-end engi- neering, circuit design and simulation, firm- ware development, test engineering, and even mechanical design. An engineering degree still provides excellent preparation for these areas of electronics design. However, many tradi- tional engineering degrees are lacking instruc- tional content on physical layout, DFM, and especially manufacturing. Our view is that an industry-sponsored edu- cational program focusing on PCB design can complement traditional electronics engineer- ing degree programs. If you think about the entire design process, it's easy to see the link between the traditional front-end electronics engineering tasks, back-end application devel- opment, and the intermediate physical layout tasks in electronics design; it's all part of the broader product development process, and that's where designers excel. We believe the critical path forward is a mix of three paths: traditional engineering courses, general PCB design courses, and some tool-specific courses. Shaughnessy: Is there anything else you'd like to add? Callender: Pardon me while I share a few shameless plugs, some of them free of charge. Altium's Professional Training and Certifi- cation offers instructor-led and on-demand training options for anyone looking to expand their Altium Designer skills and knowledge. Altium Education provides free online curric- ulum and certification program for college and university students interested in electronics design, and it includes a free license of Altium Designer. And Upverter Education offers free online PCB design courses that take high school students through the electronic design process. Students have access to Upverter, a free web-based tool for designing electronics. Shaughnessy: Sounds good. ank you, Rea. Callender: ank you, Andy. DESIGN007 Rea Callender