IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1497169
IPC COMMUNITY 35 SPRING 2023 Garry, why are you a mentor? What do you enjoy about the experience, and how do you see the profession changing? Garry: In my career, I have witnessed the loss of tribal knowledge through two cycles. It's frus- trating when we have to address something we thought we fixed 20 years ago. In addition, I was an instructor in a previous life, and I like shar- ing my experiences because they can help nav- igate through the gray area that will always exist between acceptable and rejectable conditions in our standards. Now that you've received the Hall of Fame Award, you can probably ride your motorcycle off into the sunset. Will you retire from IPC now or will you continue to participate? Garry: It's still a small handful of years before retirement, so I'm here for a while yet. When I finally do retire, it's hard to predict what will come next. I take great pride in ownership of the stan- dards I've supported, but it's important to know when to cut the umbilical cord and let the next generation take over. Keeping up with the rapid pace of evolution in this industry is almost impos- sible to do part-time, but walking away from rela- tionships that we developed back in the '90s is something that's hard to imagine. I'm probably going to leave this question conveniently vague. I've seen the value that effective standards add to the industry—for the manufacturer and the consumer. Conversely, I've seen how stan- dards that are poorly written or disorganized can add costs, delay schedules, or deliver inconsistent products. Christina, what do you enjoy about the Emerging Engineer program? How has it benefited your career? Christina: I have greatly enjoyed the Emerging Engineer program. It has pushed me to attend technical development courses that I likely wouldn't have attended otherwise, and I've stepped up to volunteer on committees that have proven so valuable over the years. The other most amazing part of the Emerging Engineer program is the STEM outreach that takes place at every IPC APEX EXPO. Not only has IPC been benefi- cial to me, but it has fostered an environment of inspiration for future generations of the electron- ics industry. Getting a chance to be a part of that is so fulfilling. Garry, what about your involvement in the Emerging Engineer program? How has it benefited you? Garry: It's becoming an unexpected but wel- come facet to this phase of my career. I'm pleased Christina and I were brought together for this, and I hope she's enjoyed the journey as much as I have.