The Shaughnessy Report: Back to the Future
Designers Notebook: Addressing Future Challenges for Designers
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—Surface Finish
Here’s Looking at You, Kid
February 13, 2025 | IPC Community Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Our industry is facing a two-fold challenge: finding the next generation of PCB designers and training these young technologists. Most high school career counselors don't know anything about this career, and electrical engineering grads leave college with little or no PCB design knowledge. Where do we start?
We asked two PCB design instructors, IPC’s Kris Moyer and Palomar College’s John Watson, to weigh in on the best methods for finding and training the designers of tomorrow.
Andy Shaughnessy: Gentlemen, as PCB design instructors, you have front-row seats to what’s going on, so, how can we find and train the next generation of PCB designers?
John Watson: We have a weeklong program at Palomar College that takes place in the high schools where the kids get to work on an actual PCB design. Next week we are visiting two high schools in the San Diego area. It definitely is something I hope to expand on, depending on who wants to pick up that sort of program. The first step is to get them to notice when they are young. There are a lot of intelligent kids in high school who are very intuitive, and they pick this up very quickly.
Kris Moyer: Yes, I agree. We also need them to see that PCB design is an actual engineering discipline. When I was in high school, I was looking for my path to engineering, but part of our problem today is we have not defined board designers as “board engineers.” We have to show that this is a desirable, cutting-edge job. We have to introduce the narrative earlier and change that narrative to engineering.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the February 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Nordson Electronics Solutions Introduces ASYMTEK Select Coat SL-1040 Ultrasonic Cleaning Station for Maintaining Conformal Coating Equipment
02/13/2025 | Nordson Electronics SolutionsNordson Electronics Solutions, a global leader in reliable electronics manufacturing technologies, announces their latest technology innovation for conformal coating systems, the ASYMTEK Select Coat® SL-1040 Ultrasonic Cleaning Station (patent pending) to keep nozzles and needles clean, and prevent clogging during production
ICAPE Group Reports 2024 Full-Year Revenue of €181.6 Million
02/13/2025 | BUSINESS WIREThe ICAPE Group, a global technology distributor of printed circuit boards (PCB) and custom-made electromechanical parts, today announced its revenue for the 2024 financial year, ending December 31.
Pieces of a Puzzle: PCB Designer John Watson Sees the Big Picture of Life and Work
02/13/2025 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunityJohn Watson started his career in military intelligence and as an electronics repair technician but moved over to printed circuit board design at a time when the whole electronics industry was experiencing a paradigm shift.
CEE PCB Appoints Markus Voeltz to Business Development Director Europe
02/12/2025 | CEE PCBCEE PCB, a leading manufacturer of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and flexible printed circuits (FPCs) with 3 production facilities in China, is expanding its presence in Europe and will offer local support starting March 2025.
Technica USA Announces New Relationship with PARMI USA in Multiple Markets
02/11/2025 | Technica USATechnica USA announced today that they have entered in a Distribution/Representative relationship with PARMI USA. Working closely with the PARMI USA team, Technica will be responsible for the territories of CA, NV, OR, WA, ID, UT, AZ, NM, CO, WY, TX, OK, AR, & LA.