There come times in our careers when signs point us in different directions. After nine years at Test & Measurement World magazine, I am leaving my full-time position as editorial director. With my kids now on their own and a working spouse, I hope to take time off to assess my goals and lay out a plan.

During my time at T&MW, the electronics industry has undergone remarkable change, yet the importance of test remains constant, even as test tools evolve. In my first T&MW editorial in November 1993, I recounted the self-test capabilities of the instruments manufactured by a small company I worked for. Then, our built-in self-test minimized the trips a deliveryman had to make to bring field returns to our relatively remote Virginia location. Now, self-test is indispensable, as increasingly capable instruments simply cannot access all the internal circuit nodes of complex, dense circuits. Today, I can reiterate my 1993 comment: "I believe in test."

To that end, I do plan to continue my association with T&MW and will write as a contributing technical editor. I've also "signed on" with our sibling magazine, Design News, to write for its readers. In addition, the free time I'll have opens new possibilities I might not have otherwise considered. I've nursed a couple of book ideas for several years; I have thoughts about teaching seminars and courses; I plan to write as a freelancer; and I hope to investigate several entrepreneurial opportunities.

As I move on and tackle other activities, my colleague Rick Nelson has become T&MW's executive editor, a new position. Rick worked as the managing editor at EDN magazine when I joined that publication as a lowly associate editor in '84. He taught me a great deal about writing and editing, and I greatly respect Rick's management and editorial skills. Our careers diverged in the late '80s, but when Rick sought another editorial job in the electronics industry, it was my good fortune to hire him. I'm pleased he has taken on new responsibilities at T&MW.

Simultaneous with Rick's advance, Publisher Larry Maloney has expanded his responsibilities, and is now T&MW's editorial director as well. Larry has a journalism background and served as the chief editor, and later publisher, at Design News. He took over as the publisher of T&MW in early June. Larry and Rick plan some changes in the T&MW content and format that you'll start to see early next year. Watch for Larry's column in future issues.

As Rick and Larry work to enhance T&MW remember that it exists to serve your needs. If you like what the magazine delivers, let them know. Conversely, if you want something different or need articles about a specific topic, let them know that, too. After all, T&MW is here to deliver information that helps you do a better job.

Contact Jon Titus at KZ1G@ARRL.NET