Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1531384
32 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2025 Watson at Palomar College. I took the intro- ductory class followed by John's advanced class. Ultimately, I took a certification course and will be finishing soon. As an artist coming into this field, what has your experience been like? As someone with absolutely no experience in this field, John's classes are the best ones I could have ever taken to get that introduction to PCB design. Before I started, I had no idea what a PCB was, or how they were made. I had no idea what a CAD tool was, but he taught me everything in a single semester about not only how to make a printed circuit board, but how to manage a library and what goes into making a schematic. What surprised you along that way? Did you learn more about yourself as well? I was most surprised about how interested I was in it. When you have no knowledge of something, it can be a scary experience to try it. But I found this to be an environment where I was allowed to learn, fail, and have the cour- age to continue. Do you live in the San Diego, California, area? Yes, until recently, but I've decided to move to San Antonio, Texas, and will be looking there for work by the end of the year. What would you like to share with others who may be at a professional juncture in their young lives, especially if they've never heard of a printed circuit board? I speak enthusiastically to all my peers about PCB design because it was something that I had no idea even existed until I really looked into it. I knew that my father worked as an engi- neer, but I had no idea what that meant. I think that the more people know about printed cir- cuit board design, young or old, they will give it a chance. Would you have liked it if somebody had attended your high school and talked about this as a potential career? I might not have considered it back then, but I certainly would have loved to have known about it. I think there are many young people who would give this a chance if they knew it existed. Melissa, congratulations and good luck. Your future is bright. ank you. I'm so glad I have had this opportu- nity to learn about PCB design. DESIGN007