General > General Technical Chat

Career stall

(1/2) > >>

DannyCoates:
Is it normal for career development to stall when you’re employed in a permanent PCB designer position? Do you find that your employer wants you to stick to using the same technology because it’s known and reliable?

For example, imagine developing a new product. We could use the same power supply we use in every other product or we could spend a ton of man hours designing a new power supply to gain an extra 5% efficiency or marginal cost saving. Which option do you think management will go for? The *former of course. Good for the company, bad for the designer.

It would seem the only way around this to (a) become a consultant or (b) move jobs and locations every couple of years like a nomad. The latter option obviously makes it pretty difficult to establish a life and grow roots.

tom66:
Do you work in one company designing boards for just that company, or does your company do contracts for other companies creating some more variability in the work? 

My impression of PCB design is, unless you are one of those individuals who can design micro-BGA cell phone motherboards (with a stupid number of layers and PCB technology us dweebs could never hope to use), then you will plateau your skills pretty early on.  But perhaps I have an unfair impression?

eugene:

--- Quote from: DannyCoates on June 20, 2023, 05:42:32 pm ---For example, imagine developing a new product. We could use the same power supply we use in every other product or we could spend a ton of man hours designing a new power supply to gain an extra 5% efficiency or marginal cost saving. Which option do you think management will go for? The latter of course. Good for the company, bad for the designer.

--- End quote ---

Seems to me that's good for the designer. You not only have a work to do, but completing that task will be one more thing you can add to your resume.

From here, it sounds like you're complaining about management decisions more than a stall in career.

DannyCoates:
Just
--- Quote from: tom66 on June 20, 2023, 06:41:02 pm ---Do you work in one company designing boards for just that company, or does your company do contracts for other companies creating some more variability in the work? 

My impression of PCB design is, unless you are one of those individuals who can design micro-BGA cell phone motherboards (with a stupid number of layers and PCB technology us dweebs could never hope to use), then you will plateau your skills pretty early on.  But perhaps I have an unfair impression?

--- End quote ---

Just for the one company designing boards for their product line.

I agree with your description of the individual. However it's pretty difficult to get there by yourself and without the support of an employer. What happens to the all the other smaller companies that use simpler electronics?

mengfei:
I am about to retire next year & have been designing PCB's since tapes & DOS software where used lol

Our products are just the average power supply charger & power tools & some other household products. the most I've done was a 6 layer PCB with DDR & a BGA - a meh! for todays standards. I guess i stayed on this long, one company but different BU's, coz I really liked designing PCB's.

But just like what tom66 said unless your skills are NASA or Boeing worthy you'll be stuck where your peak is in right now. I guess better develop a skill as a consultant or a Mentor if that's your kind of thing.   

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

There was an error while thanking
Thanking...
Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod