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Interview by Marcy LaRont I recently spoke with Melissa Martinez, a PCB design student in John Watson's class at Palomar College. In this interview, Melissa shares her inspiring journey from the world of animation to the realm of printed circuit board design. Introduced to the field by her father, an engineer at Northrop Grumman, she dis- covered her passion for PCB design through John's curriculum at Palomar. Her story high- lights the importance of mentorship and edu- cation in attracting new talent to the indus- try, encouraging young individuals to explore opportunities they may not yet know exist. An Inspiring Journey From Animation to PCB Design Marcy LaRont: Melissa, you came into this industry through a family connection. What were you doing before learning about PCB design? Melissa Martinez: I was an animation artist who quickly realized that I was now competing with AI, and I wasn't earning enough money to compete with that. My father has been an engineer at Northrop Grumman for over 20 years, and I knew it was a secure job with a stable income. I knew nothing about the PCB industry until last year when I asked my father about his job, and he found the classes by John 30 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2025