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An Inspiring Journey From Animation to PCB Design
January 20, 2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute

I recently spoke with Melissa Martinez, a PCB design student in John Watson’s class at Palomar College. In this interview, Melissa shares her inspiring journey from the world of animation to the realm of printed circuit board design. Introduced to the field by her father, an engineer at Northrop Grumman, she discovered her passion for PCB design through John’s curriculum at Palomar. Her story highlights the importance of mentorship and education in attracting new talent to the industry, encouraging young individuals to explore opportunities they may not yet know exist.
Marcy LaRont: Melissa, you came into this industry through a family connection. What were you doing before learning about PCB design?
Melissa Martinez: I was an animation artist who quickly realized that I was now competing with AI, and I wasn’t earning enough money to compete with that. My father has been an engineer at Northrop Grumman for over 20 years, and I knew it was a secure job with a stable income. I knew nothing about the PCB industry until last year when I asked my father about his job, and he found the classes by John Watson at Palomar College. I took the introductory class followed by John’s advanced class. Ultimately, I took a certification course and will be finishing soon.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the January 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor's Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
02/07/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007For my top picks this week, I wanted to highlight some other important content we’ve featured. First is the incomparable Stephen Chavez, who provides insight into what the future PCB designer will look like. Bob Duke of American Standard outlines the seven key challenges he sees in offshore manufacturing. We move seamlessly from there to tariffs, one of today’s most talked about topics. Jeffrey Beauchamp of NCAB looks back at a recent timeline regarding tariffs, and it’s quite interesting. I’m also pointing you toward a feature on a thriving EMS company in Malaysia, one of the two most popular locations for China Plus One manufacturing expansions. Finally, we acknowledge the expansion news of a long-time PCB and EMS global supplier.
Zhen Ding Releases January 2025 Monthly Revenue Report
02/06/2025 | Zhen DingZhen Ding Technology Holding Limited, a global leading PCB manufacturer, reported January 2025 revenue of NT$13,469 million, up 5.44% YoY, achieving a record high for the same period in the company’s history.
Geopolitics Reshapes the Global PCB Landscape as Trump 2.0 Looms
02/06/2025 | TPCAThe global PCB industry is undergoing a period of significant transformation driven by geopolitical shifts, protectionism, and supply chain restructuring.
Delvitech to Officially Present Hybrid AOI + SPI Horus System at IPC APEX EXPO 2025
02/06/2025 | DelvitechDelvitech is happy to announce that it will showcase its groundbreaking Horus system, the industry's first all-in-one AI native platform for both Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) and Solder Paste Inspection (SPI), at the upcoming IPC APEX EXPO 2025. The event is scheduled from March 18 to 20, 2025, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
Flexible Thinking: Mind-tapping into January
02/05/2025 | Joe Fjelstad -- Column: Flexible ThinkingIt’s January again, and our beleaguered planet has completed yet another trip around the sun. The Romans named January in honor of their god Janus, who is usually depicted as a bearded old man with two faces—one looking back to the past and the other looking forward to the future. People venerated Janus as the god of beginnings and endings, transitions, and the passage of time. With that in mind, I’ll look 10 years into the future—hopefully with a bit of inspiration from Janus—and prognosticate what might be happening in electronic design.