Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1514628
36 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2024 My first semester of college included a course on engineering fundamentals that focused on teamwork, problem-solving, ethics, and, of course, coding. I had no experience in coding. In fact, downloading the program to my laptop alone almost required visiting the IT depart- ment. is class was my second course on my first day of school. Shortly aer the intro- ductory speeches, we were asked to write a "simple" code that output the phrase, "Hello World." Instant panic sets in as my other three team members started typing away. Was I sup- posed to have learned this in high school? roughout the rest of the semester, I stum- Easing the Learning Curve for Young Professionals bled my way through coding. It took multiple one-on-one sessions with the teaching assis- tant before I really understood why a semico- lon was needed at the end of a command, let alone how to make a "for" loop. Now that I'm out of college, I understand this experience was not unique but something that many engi- neering students unfortunately experience. While some might say it built character, it was discouraging to feel behind from my very first day. is story is not exclusive to the world of coding. It can be easily translated to the expe- rience many of us have when first joining the electronics industry. e lan- guage used to describe fea- tures or defects is unique to the industry and can be just as intimidating as writing an "if " statement for a new coder. e knowledge required to be successful in the PCB world is not currently taught in high schools or most colleges. ere is little outreach from companies to local schools to provide skills-based training and mentorship. Students are oen le to teach themselves, assuming they can find their way into electronics before landing a full-time position. Even if students are taught electronics, these classes mainly focus on components The New Chapter by Paige Fiet, TTM-LOGAN