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18 The PCB Design Magazine • May 2017 by Kelly Dack, CID+ EPTAC Throughout my decades-long career in PCB design, I have been fortunate. I've only had to search for a job out of desperation once. I had no idea my ICP Certified Interconnect Designer credentials would come in handy when I hit the pavement. This was during the telecom industry down- turn around the year 2000. Suddenly, I found myself laid off for the first and only time in my life. Prior to being laid off, I'd moved around a bit. I'd worked nine years for an aerospace company; nine years for medical products com- pany; three years for a small product develop- ment company; eight months for a PCB design software VAR, and then three years at a telecom company in Southern California. Whew! During the early years of my career, I'd changed jobs on my own terms, typically by fol- lowing my engineering peers to new opportuni- ties. My PCB design experience had become suit- ably diverse. I loved working on design teams and experiencing department camaraderie. Come performance review time, my evalu- ations often cited that, "Kelly works well on a team." It was the dotcom era and electronics companies were rolling in cash. I felt on top of the world and I was bringing in more income than ever, until the electronics industry's eco- nomic bubble burst. It was unbelievable at the time; maybe you had a similar experience. A lot of designers did. After a week or two, I realized that I was total- ly unprepared for a layoff. I had no engineering peers to follow to another local job. The few local companies that were hiring were destined to be under water before long. I had to begin looking for a job on my own. I began reading advice on how to update a resume. "I work well on a team," I wrote. But needless to say, flaunting that you work well on a team is of little value if there is no work. I began searching for jobs out of state. Soon, I came across a lead for a PCB design job in Reno, Nevada. The job description stated, "Must work well on a team." I thought, "That's me!" I sent off my application. Before long, my phone rang. It was the hu- man resources manager from the company in Reno. She mentioned that she would like to schedule a phone interview with me. I was hop- ing she would mention something about the PCB design team in Reno, but she didn't. Great! I responded. MUST WORK WELL ON A TEAM; CID A BONUS FEATURE