Editor’s Forum

EDITOR’S FORUM ROSA SOPHIA • MANAGING EDITOR

MY EDUCATION IN THE 12-VOLT INDUSTRY

Have we met at KnowledgeFest? Allow me to officially introduce myself.

Over the years, I may have spoken with you on the phone or met you at KnowledgeFest. I might’ve interviewed you on the show floor, pausing our conversation as someone at a nearby booth cranked the volume in a demo car.

Today, I’m meeting you in a whole new way, and I’d like to introduce myself. I started my journey with Mobile Electronics magazine in 2014 as a copyeditor, gradually working my way up until I began writing for the publication. I remember how excited I was when I first started, primarily because of my background.

While I’m currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at Florida International University, my background is in automotive technology: I earned an Associate Degree from Lincoln Technical Institute, focusing much of my study on electrical schematics diagnostics. (What can I say? I like to read schematics.) Joining Mobile Electronics magazine was an exciting move for me because it allowed me to combine two things I love: Writing and automotive.

As we know, however, the 12-volt industry is unique and specialized. It goes way, way beyond what I studied in college. There’s a learning curve, and I’m loving every minute of it. The creativity and the passion I witness at KnowledgeFest is truly invigorating for me. When I think back to my days in automotive school, I remember my drivability instructor—shout-out to Mr. Leach!—noticing my interest in hot rods and custom builds and saying to me, “You know, I could see you doing something with this.” At the time, I couldn’t have imagined my combined interests would lead me to this moment.

As with all things in life, though, the question is always the same: Where do we go from here? My goal hasn’t changed: From the start, my focus has been to bring you content that will help you to continue improving your businesses. From here on out, my personal aim is to keep educating myself about the industry so I can better assist you. I’m also working my way through the MECP Apprentice Installation Technician study course. (I would love to be able to observe some of you folks in the install bay!) While I’m particularly interested in the installation side of things, I also noticed the

“strategies I’ve learned in sales trainings at KnowledgeFest are principles that can be To achieve applied to almost any area of life. A good salesperson knows how to listen, how to meet needs and how to build relationships. anything in I’ve observed a lot of mutual support and comradery in this industry. Until life, it’s best joining the team at the magazine, I never heard so many people say to me, “I love to remain a what I do. I love going to work every day.” My industry education started small, expanding until I attended my first Knowlstudent. edgeFest and saw your excitement and enthusiasm for what you do. I mentioned there’s a learning curve, ” and there’s a reason I stated it in present tense: To achieve anything in life, it’s best to remain a student. Maybe the learning curve is more like a sine wave, its waveforms continually shifting. Mistakes are made, knowledge is refreshed and applied to the work we do every day. I’ve often heard business owners and technicians echo the quote, “Once you stop learning, you start dying.” Albert Einstein coined the phrase, and it’s very true. I’m grateful to be a part of this industry, and I look forward to learning more from each of you. Thank you for being my teachers for the last seven years. Here’s to many more.