Inside the Minds of Gen Z

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Gen Z employees definitely bring new skills and expectations to today’s workforce. Manufacturers, take note: You have a generation of employees who are curious about the world, love to keep busy and engaged, and just need a better understanding of why manufacturing is cool. In this roundtable discussion, recent high school graduate Dylan Nguyen and Paige Fiet, a recent university graduate, provide insight into what they’re looking for in a career. It’s an enlightening discussion.

Barry Matties: Paige and Dylan, there are some general stereotypes or perceptions about manufacturing. The pandemic raised awareness that manufacturing matters, but we're still not attracting a younger workforce, unless they’re building a Tesla car or a SpaceX rocket. What is your perception of that?

Dylan Nguyen: I did FIRST Robotics in high school and I initially came into it with a CAD specialty. But as I progressed, my focus shifted to manufacturing, where I ran the CNC machining. 

From my experience, manufacturing is definitely not the first thing that students think about, even those in a STEM field. It’s a niche topic that isn't promoted as much as other fields, like software or computer-aided design. Only two people on my team were actively in the manufacturing group while the mechanical section comprised the rest of the team. 

Matties: You've now been introduced to the circuit board industry at IPC APEX EXPO, so what image comes to mind when you think of manufacturing?

Nguyen: I immediately think of the inside of a shop—blue collar, lots of physical labor, and very difficult on the body.

Matties: Paige, you've chosen a career in circuit board manufacturing. How do you see manufacturing, how do Gen Zs see it, and why might you see it differently?

Paige Fiet: Manufacturing has a reputation of being kind of dirty and gross. Like Dylan said, it’s seen as hard labor. My dad is an engineer who has worked in manufacturing, and when I was a kid, I was able to run around the factory. I remember them getting their first robot arm and how excited he was that they would put in a robot. That was a big lead for me—whether consciously or subconsciously—into manufacturing.

To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the November 2023 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.