r/Drafting

I am a CAD drafter with only 3 years experience, and I am currently in college for mechanical engineering. This company has been the best of the 3 CAD jobs I've had in terms of workplace environment, and is the most complex(designing concrete plants). It is the most smoothly run fab shop I've worked in, but that also contributes to this job being the most boring. I rarely do anything I find interesting, because I work with senior drafters and engineers who do most of the designing and tasks I would find interesting, and I mostly do tedious, boring tasks like creating drawings. They've been great and extremely lenient about my schedule in order to help me through college, but I find myself constantly looking at the clock, and I am drained by the end of the work day despite only sitting. I don't intend on staying here when I get my degree, and I have talked with them about this. I am by far the youngest in the office, and I'm not as friendly with anyone as I've been in my other jobs. If this were you, would you quit and try to make ends meet at a job unrelated to engineering that also pays less? I'm at a point where I had an easier time getting through the day at shops where jobs were always behind and the workplace was toxic with a high turnover rate, with everyone always stressed. I had a better time pushing carts and working in fast food.

Edit: Thanks to all of the replies genuinely looking to be helpful, I'm glad I came here. I am going to stick to this job and talk to my coworkers and supervisor and try to take on more challenging tasks.

I’m in school right now for an architectural drafting design degree. I’m excellent with autocadd…. Revit is not clicking for me though. Am I cooked? Will I ever find employment in this industry if my revit skills are so mediocre?

Hi there, I'm Anthony and have recently turned 18.

I'm writing on this subreddit, as I am curious about the future of this role and have concerns as to whether or not this career is worth investing time into. I've listed my concerns and question below, and hope to gain some knowledge from this 😄

1. AI.

From the multiple forums I've read on reddit, there isn't a clear census as to how the role will be in the next 10 years or so. Responses tend to vary and either say the role will stay alive, but in order to succeed, one must segway into a designer role, as oppose to staying a draftsman. On the other hand, many often state that ai tools will become so refined that the need for a draftsman/designer will be unnecessary.

2. Job Market/Competition

As we all know the current job market is shit, and landing a role is next to impossible when you lack experience. Furthermore, wouldn't companies prefer to offshore immigrants and pay a lower salary/wage? And why couldn't they just hire an engineering graduate to handle the design work?

3. Entry into the role

This isn't necessarily a concern, but a genuine question to those within the drafting world. Is it worth committing to a 2 year diploma of Civil Construction Design? or it better to learn the fundamentals and build a portfolio? How do I land interviews and jobs? what is critical knowledge to have (software, qualifications, etc.) and ultimately what makes me competitive to employers.

Thank you!

I have an unrelated bachelor's but am planning to pursue a 1 year certificate in architectural technology.

I'm based in the midwest in the US, and a lot of the job postings I come across or seek out are listing that you have to have a B.Arch/M.Arch or seeking licensure. I'm not really sure I want to be doing that.

I'm not worried about AI takeover as I don't think companies are ready to integrate it operationally quite yet, but I am concerned that maybe for this specific area of drafting (architecture) I am underestimating the requirements for entry level & I'd rather not waste my time if I won't be an in-demand candidate.

Fwiw, I do have something of a mentorship going on right now with an architect and that's been promising, but perhaps enlightening that I don't want to become an architect.

Husband and I are looking for an architect to draw a floor plan of a property to start renovating.
Also if there’s anyone that can recommend a reliable GC to renovate our 1905 house in Sanford it’ll be greatly appreciated!

TIA