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Is "drafter" a still-used position at engineering firms? What skills does a drafter need?

For example, if you were going to a college with vocational courses, would it make sense to try to pursue something that prepares you to become a drafter?

Are engineering firms still looking for people to handle just drafting, or do they only want engineers?

If they are, what are the necessary drafting programs to learn that make you more employable?

#engineering #civil-engineering #drafting #computer-aided-drafting #architectural-drafting #structural-drafting #vocational-school #vocational-planning #vocationalprograms

engineering civil-engineering drafting vocational-school architectural-drafting computer-aided-drafting structural-drafting vocationalprograms vocational-planning
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Peter’s Answer

Danni:


Traditional drafting (hand-drawn and hand-erased plans) disappeared at least 25 years ago. The Craft is now called CAD (computer-aided drafting). AutoCAD is a widely used utility, but there are several others. You import standard designs from the Web and then electronically change them to fit the specific engineering design. A closely-related skill is GIS (geographic information system) that generally uses electronic mapped information. The most widely used GIS utility is ESRI's ArcGIS. Both skills are can be learned in a 2-year vocational class at many junior colleges. Cad Operators are valued and there is a considerable demand for them at engineering consulting firms and govt. agencies.

You should also note that basic CAD and GIS skills are taught to engineering students, as this is a critical skill for them, as well.

Peter recommends the following next steps:

If you are still in high school, you should talk to your Counselor about a career in CAD. You can also look up several junior colleges in your area to see which offer CAD Certification. Then visit one of these colleges and talk with the CAD Department.
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Jimmy’s Answer

If you have an undergraduate degree, then you are probably over-qualified the job requirement for the drafter. Usually you can aim for an entry level engineer position instead of drafter.

However, yes you are right, larger size companies still have the drafter positions available. In my opinion, if you start from drafter then it would be harder for you to be raised as an engineer.

The drafting software/ programs that I will suggest are shown as the following:

civil/ water resources/ site development/ highway: Microstation, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D

structure: Revit

roadway modeling: Inroads, OpenRoads
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Ken’s Answer

Congratulations on being interested in finding the right career to follow. Drafting is still done; however, it is done through various computerized processes. It still takes a special person to enter into a this career field and meet the demands which that career area presents. The first step is to get to know yourself to see if you share the personality traits which make that make one successful in that area. The next step is doing networking to meet and talk to and possibly shadow people doing what you might think that you want to do to see if this is something that you really want to do, as a career area could look much different on the inside than it looks from the outside. When I was doing college recruiting, I encountered too many students, who skipped these important steps, and ended up in a career/job for which they were ill suited.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school. Many people who are very successful in this field get their start at a community college.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Simon’s Answer

Peter answered the question well. I was an old school draftperson (pencil) and it provided me with an income to continue school. I designed medical instruments, fast food restaurant equipment, piping designs for chemical plants and even designed circuit boards as a draftsperson. One other skill that is important is sketching. Isomeric drawings and sketches help people understand a design or concept. CAD operators and designers are in great demand and usually work with or under an engineer. CAD technology courses can be secured from a technical school in approximate two years. If you want to have more independence, I’d look into continuing school and perusing an engineering career. Good luck.


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