John Watson Wants You—to Sign Up for His PCB Design Class

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

I-Connect007 columnist John Watson is teaching an introductory class on PCB design at Palomar College this fall, but this is much more than a basic design class. As he explains here, after taking this college-level certificate course, students will know how to design a PCB and have a solid understanding of how the industry functions.

But John has hit a slight snafu: He needs a few more students to sign up before August 23, or the class will be cancelled. It’s an online class, so you don’t have to live in San Diego to attend. In this interview, John talks about the genesis for the class and its benefits. 

There aren’t many PCB design classes out there, so we’d hate to see this get cancelled. We’ll have registration links at the end of the interview. We need to keep classes like this going. As John tells his students, “What you learn here today will change the world.” 

So, how about it? Do you have a new employee who needs to know more about PCB design?

Andy Shaughnessy: John, welcome. I understand you’re teaching a PCB design class at Palomar College.

John Watson: Yes. But there’s a little problem: We have 11 students signed up for this class right now, and we need a minimum of 16 for it to move forward with the class. If we don’t have 16 students signed up by August 23, the class will be cancelled. They won't conduct the class unless there's a minimum number of students, and this class will not occur again for another two years.

Shaughnessy: Well, I know a lot of design expertise has left the industry lately, so there’s plenty of demand for good design instruction. We’ll spread the word. So, tell us about the class. 

Watson: I’m teaching a class at Palomar College called Printed Circuit Board Design I. It’s online-only, so it’s available to anyone on the earth with a computer. It’s an introduction to PCB design, but students will learn so much more than the basics. There’s no need to know advanced math or anything like that.

It’s also a prerequisite for the advanced class, Printed Circuit Board Design II. In the advanced class, we begin to look at the manufacturing process, and that would be in January. If you have new people at your company, this would be a great way for them to learn about PCB design. It’s all going to be online, in the evening, so it won’t impact your workday. 

Shaughnessy: When does class start?

Watson: Class begins August 23, so we have about 10 days to get five more students signed up. I know we can do it. This is a college-level certificate program, and it really a great opportunity. I think the biggest question I hear is, “How do I start in PCB design? Where do I begin?” This class is a great way to get into PCB design. Students will be able to design a PCB by the end of this 16-week class. 

Shaughnessy: So, why should somebody attend this class? 

Watson: First, let me give you a little history on this class. When I went into PCB design, one of my first decisions was to go to this program at Palomar College. This program was started by Mike Creeden. It's been kept going by some of the great industry leaders like Bill Brooks and Paul Taubman. Some really great instructors have been a part of this. 

Now, this course is not just about book knowledge. You can easily pull up a book somewhere and read about PCB design, right? The information we're giving you is practical. The class is full of real-world practical situations. We're not just teaching the steps involved with PCB design. Each class is three hours long, and the first hour and 15 minutes will be lecture. The rest of the time is practical lab work with the design itself. So, it's not three hours of lecturing; it’s mostly practical. The lessons are recorded, so students can re-listen to them any time.

Each week, I discuss a new topic in the design process. The first half is schematics and libraries. The second half is PCB design and documentation. Very simple.

We are also linking the students with major resources such as I-Connect007 and PCEA. We want the students to know that there are great resources available to them, and they can continue to use these resources throughout their careers.

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