Training the next generation: the consumer's point of view [vacuum electronics]

One of the major concerns within the international vacuum electronics community is the necessity to train the next generation of professionals in the field. A panel of educators addressed this issue at the Plenary Session of IVEC 2000. The purpose here is to reconsider this topic from the point of view of the younger members of the profession. To gain insight into these issues, an informal survey has been conducted to identify the motivations that lead people to the field, the formal training that they have received, and the opportunities for and obstacles to professional growth that they have experienced. The results of that survey are presented here.