You must be registered to access the full content of this site. To register, click here.
Part Search
Bergman Keynote...Life a Series of Crossroads
Written by Andy Shaughnessy
Monday, 17 October 2005
MANCHESTER, NH – In addition to working hard and working smart, success comes down to making the right decisions at life's crossroads, said Dieter Bergman, keynote speaker at PCB Design Conference East 2005.
In his speech titled “The Designer – Preparing for the Next Decade,” IPC’s director of technology transfer recalled immigrating to Philadelphia as a child, unable to speak English. By the time Bergman was a teenager, he was working as a butcher but knew he wanted more out of life. He wasn’t satisfied, and PCB designers of today can’t afford to be satisfied with the status quo either.
“Evaluate your ideas and where you want to go with your life. Select the teachers and schools that best help you get where you want to be,” said Bergman. "You really have to love [design]."
So at 18 he got a job as a tracer at Philco, “tracing worn-out drawings.” Working in the electromechanical department, Bergman sharpened his design skills and thought he had a great job. But one day his mentor asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Bergman replied, “I’m doing it!” But the man told him he needed to be a supervisor because he’d never be noticed “working in the back.” So Bergman started working as a supervisor in the PCB department.
“Anyone who couldn’t do electromechanical ended up in PCB design,” laughed Bergman.
A 1962 trip to an IPC meeting landed him in charge of a project. By 1974, Bergman had spent 24 years at Philco and was tooling around in a company car. But he had the chance to go to work full-time for IPC, which was headquartered in a house, not an office building. Taking the IPC job would mean leaving his relatively cushy position at Philco – and the company car.
But his wife pointed out, “If you don’t try it, you’ll always wonder what would have happened.”
Thirty-one years later, Bergman thinks PCB designers must be willing to spend their spare time learning to use new tools and understand new technology. “You really have to love it.”
He told attendees to volunteer, keep a logbook and constantly evaluate their career direction. And talk to other designers.
“You can learn many things over a glass of beer,” Bergman said.
Need PCB prototypes fast?
Sunstone Circuits takes the pain out of prototyping! We are dedicated to making the online ordering of PCB prototypes simple, fast, and easy from quote to delivery. Quick access to our 24/7/365 customer service team and easy online order tracking takes the pain out of sourcing prototypes online.
Put us to the test - order Sunstone Circuits today!
PCB systems design teams face challenges with IP management and collaboration across multiple groups. This free Webinar highlights best practices that optimize these efforts across the design flow. Learn more!
CSP/BallNest Socket Provides Consistant Test and Burn-In
Aries Electronics introduces the CSP/BallNest Hybrid Socket for test or burn-in of chip scale package, ball grid array, microBGA, land grid array and prototyping. It can be used on any device having a pitch of 0.30 mm or larger. Features include a lid that nests each ball termination into the socket for a reliable connection and a four-point crown providing scrub on solder oxides. It has a signal path of 0.0777 inches and provides minimal signal loss for higher bandwidth capability. Estimated contact life is 500,000 cycles, and the socket is available in custom materials, sizes, configurations and platings. www.arieselec.com
News 
