Mya Gatzke: Mapping Out Her Future

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

I attended PCB Carolina at NC State’s McKimmon Center. This year’s event was the biggest show in its 10-year-plus history, and many engineering students were among the usual veteran PCB technologists.

I spoke with several engineering students from the Class of 2027, and their excitement about this industry was contagious. One such freshman, Mya Gatzke, sat down for an interview. As she points out, an electrical engineering degree will come in handy in a wide variety of careers.

It was clear that she had been planning her career for years. As someone who changed his major several times, I was intrigued by Mya’s ambition. It’s great to see young people coming into this industry. She and her classmates will be technology leaders before you know it.

Andy Shaughnessy: I'm here at PCB Carolina with Mya Gatzke, freshman at NC State University. Where are you from?

Mya Gatzke: Yes, I'm from Goldsboro, North Carolina originally, but I moved to Raleigh to go to NC State.

Shaughnessy: What is your major and what brings you to the show?

Gatzke: I am a first-year electrical and computer engineering dual-degree student at NC State. I have not chosen my major yet, but that is what I'm planning to do. I'm here at the show because I'm interested in learning more about the technologies, organizations, and companies that could be in my future. I want to get to know more about everything, and to be honest, grab a lot of information packets. 

Shaughnessy: That's great. Have you always been interested in electronics and tinkering? Were you always taking things apart? 

Gatzke: For most engineers, it starts off with Legos, progresses to code.org, and then you progressively do more things. Originally, I was interested in biology. Then I got more interested in trying to solve problems for different things and I realized that I didn’t want to do biology anymore. I wanted to be an engineer because it's so broad. There are so many different things I can be as an engineer. If I want to specialize in robotics, I could make prosthetic arms, or I could build PCBs. I can do whatever I want since I'll have that general knowledge. I can move into a specialty or focus by getting a little bit more education without having to go back for another four-year degree. I'm just very grateful for the opportunities of this degree.

Shaughnessy: So as a first-year student here, what are some of the classes you're taking? 

Gatzke: I'm currently taking Chemistry 101, Calculus 1, and all the preliminary intro classes. They are pretty tough. They're the weed-out classes, as we call them. I'm just sailing through but you have to stay on the ball. We start off at NC State with one engineering course called E102, which is Engineering in the 21st 
century. You learn about all the challenges and the problems in the world today that engineering may be able to help solve. It’s one of my favorite courses. I'm applying to the Grand Challenge Scholars Program, where you get to learn about all the different ways engineering connects to the aspects of our lives, like joy and sustainability, through specific engineering disciplines. 

Shaughnessy: That's sounds like a great program. In that program, will you get to learn about chemical engineering, electrical engineering, etc.? 

Gatzke: Yes, and we also go to departmental workshops so you can better understand what all your opportunities are around engineering education at the university.

Shaughnessy: That's a really good way to do it. That way, you start to know what you may be most interested in. That's the thing about printed circuit boards. There's a need for knowledge about chemicals, electrical, all sorts of disciplines. What do you think of the show so far?

Gatzke: I think it's very interesting. I like seeing all the different technologies here. My favorite was the microscope and the digital display with the very intense colors. I loved the pill dispenser too. I haven’t had a chance to go into the conference classes yet, but I really like the idea of everyone having their pamphlets out so I can read them later, and then having a chance to talk with people. Hopefully it could lead to some internship opportunities. That’s my favorite part. 

Shaughnessy: If you stay involved in general engineering and get involved in PCBs, you’ll find people in this industry are helpful and friendly. They'll tell you what they're doing and why they are doing it that way.

Gatzke: At this point, I really want to be working for either a big technology or agriculture company. I'm thinking about doing prosthetics, like prosthetic limbs. I know I want to do something with programming. 

Shaughnessy: So, you've been coding?

Gatzke: I have done a little bit. I've just taken the introductory computer science classes, but I want to continue. I find it interesting.

Shaughnessy: If you know how to do coding, that will help you in anything you do, and often will help you get into a company or discipline. If you like math and science, we’d be happy to have you in this industry. Right now, there are plenty of jobs for electrical engineers, because so many of them are nearing retirement. Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap this up?

Gatzke: I just want to say thank you for interviewing me. I appreciate this opportunity.

Shaughnessy: No problem! Thank you for doing this interview. It's nice to talk a young person who is just beginning to map out her technology career.