By Christian Thornton
Last month iNARTE was present at the 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Signal & Power Integrity in New Orleans, LA. While there I was afforded the opportunity to give a presentation workshop and host a highly successful exam. Ten engineers sat for various exams during the week and I am very happy to say that eight passed and have since become certified. To those individuals a hearty congratulations! To those who did not pass this time don’t feel as though your skills are lacking. It is a tough exam and you had only a few days to prepare. You can prepare further using the exam guide I provided and try again very soon.
While the exam is something that is often feared, every person that has tested to date has confirmed it is not as bad as everyone thinks. The exam is designed to test your ability to apply the knowledge and experience you already have to real world situations experienced by experts in their fields. The few who did not pass at the symposium are at the very beginning of their careers and the scores achieved already reflect a high level of knowledge. The only missing piece is a bit more study.
Unlike previous years, instead of holding an exam preparation session, I chose to lead a discussion regarding the value of certification and how certified individuals, even at the beginning of their careers, can affect change within the industry. The subject matter ranged from young engineer retention at small companies up to the prevailing notion of acceptable failures within equipment and everything in between. Of particular interest were the conversations that I have been part of from both the military and healthcare sides of EMC and ESD. Essentially, there is a growing problem with suppliers and manufacturers in which they state that if a product or piece of equipment fails, simply rerun the test or purchase another. The issue with this is that as we move into ever smaller realms of healthcare, plotting genomes and such, or ever further reaches of space, these notions that we can just “re-do” doesn’t work. Oftentimes once a missile is launched or a genome test started, there is no coming back. The outcome of the launch or test, positive or negative, are final and the sample is used up or the multi-billion-dollar rocket is set on its course. Ultimately, the power to change this lies with the organizations who order the parts or equipment as they have the ability to stand up and say that okay is not good enough anymore.
After the workshop session I was invited to speak with the IEEE Young Professionals Group about how certification could help them to identify or develop a career pathway z tej strony. This was particularly exciting as many young engineers and even some seasoned engineers don’t know the opportunities out there for them, either within the organizations they work or as a secondary career. Case in point there is a constant need for qualified engineering professionals to become lab auditors. While typically the desire is for seasoned engineers or technicians to perform this function, it is a great way to travel and stay active even after retirement.
The symposium this year was a great success and I hope to see you at future events. I also strongly encourage everyone to consider sitting for the examinations. The symposium provides a perfect and unique opportunity to test with little concern.
If you or your organization would like more information about how iNARTE can help with development of both employees and the company itself, please contact us at: admin@inarte.org or call our office on 888 722 2440 and speak to one of our knowledgeable team members.