Drafting/CAD certificate

Thunderscreech · #1 11-16-2008, 11:28 PM

I'm seriously looking at this as a career choice. The people who know stuff about it that I know (in the Fredericksburg area, at least) are hard to get a hold of, and the Internet gives me a deluge of information that my brain does not wish to comprehend at 1:26 AM, EST.

But, basically, what do you all know about this field?

**mr sprocket** · #2 11-17-2008, 08:46 AM

There are several avenues fro CAD certificate. Many technical schools are certification or an associates degree. You can find work in the industrial (space and office planning) construction, and manufacturing sectors.

I was a CAD guy and project designer for 10 years. If you get in with the right company it can be good. It helps if you have some background or interest in the field you are going into. For long run it also helps to have some type if technical degree in addition to the CAD training.

WhiteKnuckles · #3 11-17-2008, 09:51 AM

I was in the same boat when in my early 20s. I ended up going to a local tech school with intention of eventually transferring some engineering credits to a better school. Started out with the typical stuff along with a heavy dose of 'Engineering Graphics'.

I ended up answering a local ad for someone with experience in CAD and ended up with the job. It was with a fire protection outfit that taught me the trade. The pay wasn't a substantial upgrade from the manual work I had been doing, but here I am 15 years later, self-employed as a fire protection designer and I can't complain much at all. Granted, it's monotonous, then hectic, and not exactly making me a 'wealthy' man...but it's a comfortable life with lots of flexiblity.