CAD Forum

I just accepted a position with a mechanical drafting firm as a junior draftsman.

I was so worried and had been stressing on this, maybe to an unhealthy level as coming out of school, I would have some debt along with health issues of my elderly dad.That, and when I started the school I had worked in an industry known for being really hard to work for people. (call centers)

I would like to thank the board for yall's support.

It is remote and they will work with my final semester of college.

Job deals with AutoCAD and Navisworks and is fully remote. Also pays fairly well for my region. After living off of grants and my wife's cleaning business, this is just the life changing thing we need.

Really hope it works out, and once again thank you guys!

Congrats @ctsturdiv. If was starting a career today I would probably lean toward the architectural/civil side instead of the mechanical like I did as there is so much more outsourcing. Architectural/civil seems more secure for a career these days.

jcapriotti wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 3:14 pm Congrats @ctsturdiv. If was starting a career today I would probably lean toward the architectural/civil side instead of the mechanical like I did as there is so much more outsourcing. Architectural/civil seems more secure for a career these days.

I think the biggest pull towards design within the building sector is that there is only so much that can be outsourced to cheaper economies. Engineering has been devastated by outsourcing to low cost economies.

Congrat on new job!
Have fun and keep trying to find out which area in drafting do you like more.

RichGergely wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 3:33 pm I think the biggest pull towards design within the building sector is that there is only so much that can be outsourced to cheaper economies. Engineering has been devastated by outsourcing to low cost economies.

Yeap and we got paid extra to fix their drawings.

jcapriotti wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 3:14 pm Congrats @ctsturdiv. If was starting a career today I would probably lean toward the architectural/civil side instead of the mechanical like I did as there is so much more outsourcing. Architectural/civil seems more secure for a career these days.

I feel you, but to be honest, I am just happy it's a living wage and I am not having to worry about job hunts with dwindling savings after grant money dries up.

Civil still is in consideration. I talked to someone that works for the state and they verified I could do this for them with the degree. There's also other civil and arch firms in my area, but my instructor says that since we are right outside a decent Arch school that they get Arch students flooding in my area.

@ctsturdiv One thing I learned, be the person who takes on the one project/area/ knowledge in the company that nobody wants to do and is difficult to understand. It should be important to the company but something in the background. Make sure you communicate and that management knows how important this is. Will pretty much future proof your career.

Some just want to do drawings/models, rinse and repeat and then go home. And there is nothing wrong with that. However those jobs are the ones that tend to get outsourced.

ctsturdiv wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 2:43 pm I just accepted a position with a mechanical drafting firm as a junior draftsman.

I was so worried and had been stressing on this, maybe to an unhealthy level as coming out of school, I would have some debt along with health issues of my elderly dad.That, and when I started the school I had worked in an industry known for being really hard to work for people. (call centers)

I would like to thank the board for yall's support.

It is remote and they will work with my final semester of college.

Job deals with AutoCAD and Navisworks and is fully remote. Also pays fairly well for my region. After living off of grants and my wife's cleaning business, this is just the life changing thing we need.

Really hope it works out, and once again thank you guys!

Let's go! Great news mate! Glad to hear everything seems to be settling in, well deserved after all the hard work. Keep us updated on how things go and perhaps what the job involves if allowed

jcapriotti wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 6:14 pm @ctsturdiv One thing I learned, be the person who takes on the one project/area/ knowledge in the company that nobody wants to do and is difficult to understand.

More into that, show them you're open-minded and willing to take on challenges. Heck, what I did when I joined the company I work for was design a trailer model on my own on the side to show them an idea I had been thinking of for a little while and that idea happened to line-up with a really old idea of the previous owner at the time. Me coming in with a "cooked" solution was what sort of made them realize "Okay, this guy is more then just drawings"

The trailer itself was a fully "bolt-on" forestry trailer, unfortunately our company isn't specialized much in the whole bolting process so we ended up giving up on the idea after a few years running with it because it was more time consuming then welding the trailer, the only difference was that it allowed the flexibility we were searching for in terms of positioning bunks and other things of that nature.

Congratulations. I'm sure that's a load off your mind.

RichGergely wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 3:33 pm I think the biggest pull towards design within the building sector is that there is only so much that can be outsourced to cheaper economies. Engineering has been devastated by outsourcing to low cost economies.

Agreed. Everyone wants cheap, but not everything can be done without eyes on the ground.

A lot of lay people may believe this is just "easy lay out gig drawing on a computer" and simple, but there's a REASON this is a degree.

Around early Spring, someone approached me to do a fire escape plan for a church. He was on the board of a church and found out through my wife, I was going to Draftsman School.

Figured what the heck. I had to turn down and internship and another one, I got passed for. I'll do it, even though they were talking "well, you'll get paid" up front.

I got a hold of a 1990s floor plan they had, but ended up having to walk the building because the place had some walls knocked out and rearranged a bit since.

Drew out the floor plan including a really geometrically complex patio/garden area with concentric ellipses.

Found some blocks for the different fire symbols and even checked with someone I knew who worked for the Fire Department to make sure I was doing stuff to code and would not be liable if my plan was hanging up 2 years later and equipment got moved around.

Turn in my preliminary stuff with .pdfs on ARCH D paper (they should pay for card stock) and uploaded my .dwgs.

THEN they now want an event seating plan (which I used to work in hotels. Those guys arrange tables and chairs for banquet event orders on other programs than CAD software.) for no extra cost. THEN wanted me to do a plot/ elevation plan for them. Meanwhile, talk of ousting a minister and declining membership In a meeting I overheard and they were wanting rooms labeled with really ego-inflated titles.

Still talking no money at all. "You'll get paid". Pressed the guy. "Well if the church does not pay you, I'll give you 100 USD or so. You are a student, so you'll get references and exposure. I 'know' people."

Dude, if I had more exposure, I'd be butt naked here. The stuff you are talking a civil firm would want minimum 1K for.

Had to turn these people loose.

Saw on Fiverr where people overseas were doing this for what is beer money in the US. But really, I don't see people doing all that for no money far, far away. Or if it's possible except for very, very simple stuff.