CADForums.net

zion9 · Guest

If you are thinking about going to school for a Drafting Degree then
RUN!

Drafters draw blueprints and engineers design them. The current
problem is that somehow Drafting and Designing have become synonymous
terms. It used to be that a Drafter would draw blueprints from an
engineer’s/architect’s verbal instructions and/or the
engineer’s/architect’s sketches. Now the Drafter is supposed to know
what took an engineer/architect 4+ years to learn. If the Drafter
cannot “pick it up” what took the engineers/architects 4+ years to
learn then they throw you out the back door on your face in the gravel.

Also, Engineers or Architects are refusing to take time to train
Drafters. They say that they don’t have time or go grab a book off of
the shelf and figure it out.

A two-year Associate Degree in Drafting WILL NOT prepare you to be an
engineer and do an engineer’s job!

I have not designed (like an engineer) commercial buildings or other
engineering projects, but I did draw them by verbal instruction,
engineering sketches and blueprints.

My Computer Aided Drafting degree, basically, prepared me to draw
blueprints using AutoCAD software. Unfortunately, the local Drafting
courses in Kentucky, the Two-Year Drafting programs, do not prepare you
to do engineering design work (what engineers due with a 4+ year
degree).

Typically, all students come out ready to draw blueprints, as Drafters
have always done in the past, but not design without a Bachelors degree
like an engineer is trained to do.

Today, for the modern Drafter, it is turning into the old catch 22
you-need-experience situation. No one has time or is willing to train
yet they demand experience. Furthermore, if you can’t “pick up” what
took engineers four years to learn in a year or; in most cases, thirty
days or less then they will lay you off and insult you by saying you
couldn’t catch on fast enough. So what is the Drafter left to do?

A downside for the engineer in today’s modern engineering office is
that they are expected to spend all of their time drafting while they
could, more productively, spend their time dealing with public
relations and engineering design. Also, most architects and engineers
that I have spoken with have a weak background in CAD and take only a
couple of classes in Drafting during their college education.

Lastly, as stated in my objective, I am looking for a company who is
flexible and willing to train for non-Drafting engineer Design tasks.
The former title for my past experience would be a “CAD
Detailer/Drafter”. I have drawn blueprints, as I was prepared to do by
my two-year Associate Degree, but I have not “designed” as one who is
“trained” by an architectural or engineering firm.

Currently, I have been out of a Drafting position for over 2 years
because engineering firms have become too “picky” and want something
for nothing.

I guess it time for me to move on and realize that Drafting is a dead
field.

zion9 · Guest

Drafter = Underpaid and untrained Engineer = Designer

Rather than harboring hostilities towards the Drafter have you even
tried to understand their position? I doubt it. It is all about being
the poor victim of "cad jockeys". Architects/Engineers do no wrong.
All your problems is over those damn burger flipping cad jockeys.

FINE! Do all of the drawings yourself! :-) You old engineering guys
better start learning how to use computers quick. ;-)

Have you ever tried running an office without a secretary?

And PLEASE we have heard your side before. ;-)

Leon · Guest

Leon · Guest

thyre · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 2

I feel all of your pain. I used to tell people in my drafting classes if they were going to go for a certificate that it would be better to get in architectural vs. Mechaincal because the job market was good for architectural types at that point. Well it is now 6 years from the time I was in school and the job market sucks for architectural drafters but is fairly good for us Mecahnical Designer types. There is alot of competitiveness in this market, if this is what you are called to do then you won't mind putting in the effort to get ahead of other folks. Stay late, ask questions, do all the stuff no one wants to do on a weeknight....................like study things that are relevent to your job. If you do these things you'll be fine, otherwise there are a million other ways to make money in this world. Who knows maybe you were cut out to be a Doctor, Lawyer, Constuction worker who knows.

westcad · Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 4 Location: Australia

I also feel your pain..started working as a junior drafter in 1965 when it was a profession, however the engineer/architect was the overseer...now in Australia you are required to have a builders practioners license @ great cost and take all responsibility with possible legal implications. Somebody is making money out of this and it aint the drafters...think i'll gracefully slide into semi-retirement and go back to bar work (did that whilst going thru college) less hassles and they get tips, bonuses and penalty rates for weekend work

malik641 · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 5 Location: South Florida

I know what you mean by the fact that you are just a drafter, not an engineer. I design pools for a consulting engineering company in south florida and I started about 3 months ago. I have an Associates in Science of Engineering Science, and thank god for that. If I didn't have the education I do, I wouldn't understand much of why things are done for the reasons they are. Not to mention I had no formal training, either....actually we are short of drafters (a big turn around for a small company) and my supervisor told me that I may have to train new employees (don't forget I've only been there for 3 months).....so I'm not happy with the management there.

And by the way, you are right, the engineer can do NO wrong and has NOOOO CAD experience (at least my engineer). It was embarrassing to watch him try to find the area of a polyline.

For me, I want to be Mechanical Engineer (one WITH CAD experience) and I'm just trying to finish up school and get experience in the meantime.
_________________
-Joseph

JBRIMINGHAM · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2 Location: Nashville, TN

Going to school to learn AutoCAD to be a draftsman is as learning Microsoft Word makes you a paralegal. Save your money! Stay at home!
_________________
JB

	CADForums.net Forum Index -> Drafting	All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1