IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1542698
JANUARY 2026 I I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE 73 My advice to new engineers is to learn every- thing about the engineering world, not just your educated discipline. Board design is not for every- one and, as I discovered, electrical engineering is not for everyone either. I studied ECE at UC-Davis and hoped I could apply my knowledge to solv- ing engineering problems of the world. It was an honest thought at a young age but making all that happen can't be done with just one learned disci- pline. One must reach out and learn everything. I always say, both to those I instruct and those I work with, is that if you can solve the Rubik's Cube, you can route a board. But that applies to all facets of engineering. It might sound corny or simple, but learning everything about all types of engineering put into the work product you have been asked to do is the best way to find out who you are, what you want to do, and the challenges that suit your abili- ties. Don't settle on one discipline. Learn them all and be all you can be. Teach others on your journey. Is there anything available to PCB designers today that would be truly advantageous to them, but they are largely not using? What should designers be adopting? After many years of attending conventions, con- ferences, and seminars, I am surprised that PCB design engineers sometimes don't have the com- plete set of required software tools to make the best of their board designs. I understand smaller companies can't afford the expensive tools and sometimes the larger companies have too many tools, all of which makes proper designing and engineering a tough obstacle. Whatever tools you have, make the best of them, work with the tool company, and ask for help using the tool. I ran into a colleague who complained that all he had was AutoCAD to route his boards. I said, "What's the problem?" I have designed many boards using AutoCAD. I have worked with many software suites and tools, and all have good and bad aspects but, in the end, you must make the best of the tools you have. Reach out to the blogs of the engineering world; there is so much to gain and learn from others in your local and global communities. Go to confer- ences and attend workshops, ask your boss to fund your learning. If necessary, fund your own learning. Never stop learning and teaching others. My career has been a wonderful journey, with over a thousand board designs and still going. Early on, I decided to just keep learning, motivated by my university education, solving cubes, solv- ing problems, and meeting the engineering chal- lenges, one day at a time. Enjoy, adjust, and fine-tune the routing of your engineering journey. Don't let any obstacles stop you. The universe is not the limit. DESIGN007