it's all about aesthetics

music: Ani DiFranco, "Render" DVD (video)

My profession is drafting, specifically circuit board design. Most people don't understand what I mean when I tell them what I do. If anything, they try to pitch an idea for an electronic device that they feel should exist. It's usually a good idea, don't get me wrong, but I'm not an electronic engineer. I couldn't come up with the essential circuitry for the device they envision.

Have you ever opened up your computer, or any electronic device, and seen that (usually) green board with wires and parts attached, that dominated the interior? In a computer, it's called the motherboard. Even your mouse has one. Your TV, radio, microwave, hair dryer, smoke detector, keyboard, car, remote control, pacemaker, telephone, bicycle computer, refrigerator, and thermostat all have at least one. That's what I do. An engineer devises the circuitry, the essence of the electronics, but I transform that concept into a physical reality.

It's an art form. A well-designed board is a thing of beauty. A merely functional board might be as attractive as a shovel. A poorly designed board will not only function badly, but it will often look bad. Painful to look at, like an out-of-tune musical instrument is to listen to.

I've designed boards for intrusion detection devices (don't call them burglar alarms, these were so much more), smoke and fire detectors (yes, there are fire detectors - they have heat sensors), smart circuit breaker boxes, pollution sensors, sonar, heart defibrillators, military vehicles, plasma displays (those giant flat-panel monitors), satellites, and a few other things that don't immediately spring to mind. The boards themselves may be hidden from public view, but the products are usually very visible, and most of the time they are extremely cool.

I really enjoy being in the electronics business.