CAD Work Experience(s)

[cagan3RVZX]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forums but have been working with AutoCAD related projects and products for about 4 years now and was wanting to get some advice as to what options or opportunities I should be looking for in this line of work. 

First, I started out with a small firm for 3 years that specialized in land use and permitting while I recently transitioned this past year to a construction company that specializes in plumbing and HVAC and have been there for over 6 months. 

The reason for taking this job was that it offered me more opportunities to train and work with CAD while gaining experience with the above mentioned trades. With that I am often in the office managing plans we receive from architects, engineers, and general contractors and work with 2 supervisors to edit and add our own set of standards to make our set of shop drawings. (mainly 2D drawings but would like to get into 3D modeling)

I was also wondering in addition to this how I could network with others in my position as I am the only one at my company that works with CAD. My concern is that sometimes it seems I'm put in a corner and forgotten about and while I want to avoid that I also want to avoid becoming stagnant and unmotivated. Sometimes I find that the majority of my time is spent cleaning up old plans and doing what I consider house work, which becomes rather dull.

I haven't taken or currently in school however I have taken several courses to keep me up to speed. I would like to move up from being a drafter and increase my value but would like to know what that would or may look like and what may be available with my current skill set. I'm also looking into Revit as I have been hearing that it does much more and where the industry is heading.

If you have any suggestions, personal experience, or any questions I'm all ears and would be happy to clarify. I know this post is only scratching the surface, but wanted to get started in the right direction. Thanks for your consideration.

[MrJSmith]

In terms of increasing your skill set, you could look into automating the current "house work" tasks using AutoLisp. In doing so, you'd learn more fundamental levels of how CAD works as a database, giving you a deeper understanding while also making you more efficient at your current job and potential future jobs.

If coding doesn't interest you, I'd then suggest look to see if you can become a CAD drafter of a local engineering or architectural firm rather than a construction firm. They create the drawings you are looking at which would give you design experience and eventually lead into other job opportunities besides just being a CAD drafter. It would also give you an opportunity to learn CAD techniques from others.

I wouldn't recommend Revit until your job requires it. It is its own beast of a program with a lot of its own special ways of doing things that is very different from CAD. It was a challenge jumping back and forth between the two for my daily job. I don't think you'd get far in it without ~30 hours min experience and it would be quickly lost without repetition. Lastly, its license is extremely expensive.