Comments on: Advice on Architectural AutoCAD Drafting field?

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:39:59 +0000

Brian is exactly right, it use to be there were engineers, designers and drafters, today the drafters and designers have murged . engineers want designes handed to them for review, and they are there for guidance, but the designer comes up with the initial drawings. I have a associates degree in engineering technology, and it has helped me stay in this field, people with "drafting" skills are finding work harder to find. But i do make a descent living. and have for almost 20 years now. but thats becasue i realize autocad is not just a cad package. it is a productivity tool. making lines and circles is a drop in the bucket for what it can do. here we have it talking to SQL searver, Utilizing VBA were pulling general information that it uses to automate portions of our drawing process. and that portion is increasing all the time. So yes AutoCAD can be a basis for a career, but it is not just about drawings. you have to design and automate.
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By: Brian Myers

Brian Myers — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:23:59 +0000

CAD drafting is becoming a field with less jobs while CAD "design" is becoming more important. In other words, simply drafting really isn’t the way to go unless you are just trying to break into the field. The field is overloaded with people with AutoCAD or drafting experience, the "real money" is in the hands of people skilled in their fields that also have CAD Design/drafting ability.

Ultimately you CAN make a good living as a "CAD draftsman" for an architect, but you’ll need good knowledge of your field to turn this good job into a good career instead of a short-term job before being forced into other positions to make more cash and ideally achieve job security.
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18 years in the field, 16 as a CAD designer/draftsman.

By: FM

FM — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:15:59 +0000

AutoCAD is kind of old technology, so to speak. So that’s why it is not high pay and demand is going down. People use it if the old work was done that way, but newer programs are used now.

Check with the schools and see what they offer. Non-architectural CAD is done by 3d parametric programs (Pro/E, CATIA, Inventor, Solidworks, etc…). I believe architecture is moving toward programs with similar function.
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