Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1467185
MAY 2022 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 73 constantly growing, and it is essential to grow with it. Work Ethic Oh, boy, here's the tough one. I'm just going to put these ideas out there, and if you think that I'm nuts on some of this, so be it. But I have found their relevance in my own career path, so hopefully they can be of help to you. • Be on-time and available: Not only do you need to be at your workstation to do the job you've signed up to do, but you need to be available for meetings and con- sultations during your regular work hours. Many people don't realize how much this matters to managers who need a simple question answered or a task accomplished. To put it simply, if you aren't where you should be on a regular basis, your manager will soon turn to someone else to get the job done. • Be a team player: More than likely you will be working with others throughout your career, and you will have to function in a team environment. Teamwork can be tough, especially in our industry where we oen work on our own, and you may not always agree with each other. But it is essential to work collaboratively toward a common goal even if it isn't always in the direction you expected. Be prepared to stand up and make a compelling argu- ment for what you believe, while at the same time prepared to make a reasonable compromise. Negotiation, communica- tion, and mutual respect are all essential components of a successful team, and that general rule remains the same no matter what industry you are in. • Learn to take a blow: Sometimes events just don't turn out the way we expected them to. We didn't get the job we wanted, somebody threw us under the bus at work, or we really messed up a layout that cost time, money, and embarrassment. Maybe we've even been laid off from a position that we really loved. I've been through all of these, and I know how tempting it is to want to hide from the world, hoping that it will all just magically go away. But don't do it. Pick up the pieces, make the cor- rections, and most importantly, believe in yourself again. Take control of the events surrounding you instead of yielding that control to the circumstances. • Produce beyond what is expected of you: I realize that this is a very sensitive topic, but if you want to succeed, you must com- mit to what you are doing. Make sure your job gets done, volunteer for the tougher assignments, and don't overcharge your employers for what you are doing. e goal is to market yourself as the go-to per- son in your employer's eyes so they will see you as an asset to their team. • Protect yourself: It can be very easy to over-commit while building your career. ere are also unscrupulous employ- ers out there who will abuse your honest efforts without anything given in return. To ensure that you can always do the high- est quality of work, keep an eye out for signs of burnout and protect yourself, even if it means pursuing other opportunities. As I look around at the work being done in our industry today, I am filled with anticipa- tion of what is around the corner. Tomorrow really is going to be an amazing day. It is excit- ing to be a part of all of this, and I hope these ideas have helped in some small way to prepare the designers of tomorrow with the tools they will need to get there. See you all next time, and until then, keep on designing. DESIGN007 Tim Haag writes technical, thought-leadership content for First Page Sage on his longtime career as a PCB designer and EDA technologist. To read past columns or contact Haag, click here.