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The Shaughnessy Report: A Time for New Ideas

Usually, I hate to see the end of summer, but this year I’m ready for fall. This summer it rained just about every day in Atlanta. My basement flooded; it wasn’t much water, but it still smells like mildew down there.

I’m just sick of rain. At this point, I’d almost rather have snow.

And I just turned 50, so I’m anxious to get started on my second half-century. My girlfriend and I went zip-lining and we survived. If you get the chance to go zip-lining, do it. The thousand-foot runs are insane!

Years ago, I thought 50 was old, but now I think it’s just right. I guess 50 is a little past middle age, unless I live to be 100. They say your body starts to fall apart around 50, and I’m anxious to see which parts go first. I should be okay for a decade or two. I exercise fairly regularly, and I’ve just about quit eating fried foods, which is tough in the South. I never saw deep-fried pimento cheese until I moved to Atlanta.

But if we mature folks don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be around long. The same holds true for this mature industry of ours. Companies that don’t evolve and adapt won’t be around long.

At this rate, there won’t be anyone left in this industry in 30 years. We have to attract more young people to the world of PCB design, fabrication, and assembly. I may be 50, but odds are I’m still younger than just about anyone reading this. That’s nice for me, but it’s bad for the future. Read the full column here.Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the September 2013 issue of The PCB Design Magazine.