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
Panasonic Appoints Matrix as its Authorized Distributor in Europe
06/03/2025 | Matrix ElectronicsEffective July 1st, 2025, Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd. has appointed Matrix Electronics Limited as its Authorized Distributor in the European region.
UHDI Fundamentals: UHDI Drives Unique IoT Innovation—Smart Homes
06/03/2025 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsThe combination of UHDI's high-bandwidth capabilities and IoT's real-time data processing can lead to more efficient, immersive, and smarter IoT systems. This convergence of two revolutionary technologies is enabling quantum advancements in some very “unconventional” applications.
STARTEAM GLOBAL Unveils Innovative Additive Solder Mask Process
06/02/2025 | STARTEAM GLOBALSTARTEAM GLOBAL, a leading PCB manufacturer, has introduced a revolutionary additive solder mask process at its Flero STARTEAM (FST) factory in Italy, leveraging digital inkjet technology to enhance production efficiency and sustainability.
Advint Delivers Advanced Electroplating Training to Triangle Labs
06/02/2025 | Advint IncorporatedDuring the last week of April, Advint Incorporated conducted a comprehensive two-day on-site electroplating training session for the technical team at Triangle Labs, Inc., a key innovator in the printed circuit board space. The training was structured to align with the demands of high-reliability plating processes suitable for RF and high-frequency substrates.
BEST Inc. Introduces StikNPeel Rework Stencil for Fast, Simple and Reliable Solder Paste Printing
06/02/2025 | BEST Inc.BEST Inc., a leader in electronic component rework services, training, and products is pleased to introduce StikNPeel™ rework stencils. This innovative product is designed for printing solder paste for placement of gull wing devices such as quad flat packs (QFPs) or bottom terminated components.