Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/293694
10 The PCB Design Magazine • April 2014 Hartley broke this news during our interview at the Design Forum. He's been threatening to retire for years, but you know how it is with PCB designers. PCB designers are always talking about retir- ing, or leaving the industry in general. Some de- signers say they want to chuck it all and become IT guys. But most of them are still designing boards. And when they do even- tually pack it in, what do de- signers do during retirement? They keep working in PCB design, but without worry- ing about the alarm clock five days a week. Case in point: After years of talking about it, columnist and design instructor Doug Brooks finally retired from daily work at the service bureau he founded, UltraCAD Design. But he just wrote a book and published a series of instructional videos on sig - nal integrity. As Michael Corleone said in Godfather III, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." Maybe designers really love their jobs af- ter all. One thing is certain: Designers aren't complaining as much as they did. And I know, because they complain to me, as if I have the power to fix real and imagined slights in their workplace. Of course, I can't get you a raise or increase your respect within the company. You are re - sponsible for doing that. To paraphrase the soon-to-be-wearing-a-cardigan Hartley, it's up to you to be the go-to design expert, and a zealous advocate for PCB design within your company. Are you that person? Eventually, we're going to need a new cadre of PCB design instructors. If you're a veteran PCB designer (and you probably are) who is ac - customed to public speaking, even just address- ing your work group, you might be a good de- sign instructor. It's not a way to get rich. After a while, you'll make a few dollars, but you won't want to quit your day job. It might cover your travel and give you some money for video poker in Vegas. Some instructors say that when they figure in the spare time they devote to staying at the top of their game, they're making slightly over the mini- mum wage. It will take over a lot of your life, but if you love what you're doing, you won't mind. Many design instructors publish a book or two, but that's mainly to keep their names in the public eye. In the long run, you're not going to make Stephen King cash writing about PCB design. That's partly because most de - signers want everything to be free. If you charge what your book is worth, some design- ers will take to the DC List complaining, "You want $79 for a book that explains ev- erything I need to know about high-speed design? What a rip- off! Sure, it may make me a better designer, but if I buy that book, I'll go bankrupt! My kids will starve!" No, most PCB design instructors are over- worked and underpaid. But they are granted ac- cess to the closest thing to modern-day Camelot: the speakers lounge. Speakers who enter these hallowed halls are sworn to secrecy, but we've all heard rumors of the wonders within: exotic dancers, wet bars, two types of bagels, and wifi that never cuts off. Plus, you get to wear the ultra-cool speaker badge on your lanyard, and that's, well, priceless. In the end, design instructors just have to love PCB design, and they have to love talking about PCB design. Does that describe you? If so, try teaching a class or two. The design instruc - tors you know will be happy to help you dip a toe in the water. It's easy to see that we're running out of PCB designers and design instructors. We need to do all we can to bring in new blood, or we're going to have a real problem one day. PCBDESIGN Andy shaughnessy is manag- ing editor of The PCB Design Magazine. he has been cover- ing PCB design for 13 years. he can be reached by clicking here. the shaughnessy report OuT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW? continues In the long run, you're not going to make Stephen King cash writing about PCB design. " "