IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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74 C O M M U N I T Y M A G A Z I N E FA L L 2 0 2 5 do it. He focused on making me successful and keep- ing me out of trouble, to successfully avoid potholes/ roadblocks. As HP grew in manufacturing, one of my new roles as an engineering manager was recruiting at univer- sities. Of course, I went back to my alma mater, Ore- gon State University, but HP had a list of universities they favored and had been successful with their grad- uates. I had attributed my success as a PCB process engineer to my chemical engineering education and, particularly, training in engineering statistics, DOE, and problem solving 1 . But in recruiting engineers, most universities had to drop the engineering statis- tics and problem-solving classes to make room for newer engineering courses. Since I considered this a major skill that my engineers needed to have, I started teaching these problem-solving concepts to my new hires. Fortunately, HP agreed with the idea and pro- vided the model and resources to make my teaching a success. This also applies to the next generation of engineers. I wrote 24 Essential Skills for Engineers as a way for them to learn what I (and other experts) thought were essential engineering skills. What is the most important lesson you teach? You will never get a break from learning something new. That is the industry you are heading into and it will be fun. If it's not, then shop around until you find the role that is fun every day. I've been in this industry for 55 years, and it has been a hoot. B I T S & B Y T E S Paige Fiet, former Student Board Liaison, always looks forward to her chats with Happy at APEX EXPO. I am the result of professionals who not only taught me engineering, but also taught me how to think. —Happy Holden