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The Shaughnessy Report: The Myriad Opportunities—and Challenges

If you look at the current state of PCB design, there are a lot of positive indicators. We have almost full employment in this great career that appeals to the techie side of the brain as well as the artistic side. You can make good money as a designer without ever seeing the inside of a college. This segment is in constant flux. It’s challenging, and that’s part of what makes it fun.

But there’s one big problem: There aren’t enough designers, and the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better.

Designers are retiring in droves, just when we need experienced folks more than ever to deal with high speeds, fast rise times, and UHDI. When they’re gone, they’ll be taking decades of knowledge with them.

On top of that, there aren’t many young PCB designers in the pipeline waiting to take their place. Most high school guidance counselors are still unaware that this career even exists, but we are seeing more PCB design curricula at colleges and universities. It’s basically a supply-and-demand situation, but it’s a serious one. What can we do to reverse this situation?

In the March 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, we asked our expert contributors to discuss the many challenges and opportunities in the PCB design community, and they shared their thoughts on what can be done to grow the numbers of PCB designers and design instructors.

We kick things off with a conversation with John Watson, who looks into the causes and possible solutions to this “perfect storm” from his vantage point as a PCB design instructor. Next, Stephen Chavez breaks down the state of PCB design, and he predicts which specialties within design are likely to be in demand in the future. Bill Hargin explains what’s needed to be the best design engineer you can be; much of it comes down to constantly reading industry books and white papers. Tim Haag, a former design instructor, discusses what it takes to be a great PCB design instructor. Joe Fjelstad explains what technical skills and soft skills are required to be a good PCB designer. Finally, Barry Olney sums it all up with his column, aptly titled “The Art of Presenting PCB Design Courses.”

We’re getting ready for IPC APEX EXPO in April. I hope to see you on the road.

This column originally appears in the March 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine.