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Differential Education 101 for PCB Designers

What is the state of PCB designer education in 2014 and where is it going? Where should it be going? My new column will focus on PCB design, design processes, education, and a host of topics that are important to PCB designers. As such, I would like to hear from PCB designers and their managers about where their minds and dollars are headed regarding staying at the head of our industry.

Let’s get started! Solve this equation:

The average time to solve this is three minutes. For those of you who remember differential equations, have fun. For the rest of you who are resolved not to attempt this problem and are now feeling your blood pressure going down, I would like to explore the state of formal and informal PCB designer education.

Before I attack the problem in this new column, I am dividing my thanks (historically) to four distinct groups of formal and informal educators in the PCB educator community.

First, I’d like to thank all of the PCB design educators who have tirelessly taught around the globe and written articles and books to offer their insights. For those who are unfamiliar with the educator’s rule of “class preparation time,” as a minimum, one minute of class lecture or lab requires a minimum of five hours of research and preparation. If the assembled students ever cared to realize why many teachers look tired but feel enthusiastic during these formal courses, it is because these same educators live for the “Aha!” moment of joy they see on their students’ faces. There is no dollar amount that can equal this moment that educators live to see.

Read the full column here.


Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the March 2014 issue of The PCB Design Magazine.