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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Retrain as a CAD Designer?

48 replies

Buddy80 · 15/03/2015 07:34

I am 40 and looking for a career change. I was in the legal field before.

Would I be unreasonable to think I could re-train and work as a CAD Designer?

I am quite good with IT. I have seen 2 college courses for City & Guilds Level 2 and 3 in 2D and 3D Design.

Would be so grateful if anyone could advise me if I am wasting my time (and money).

OP posts:

ManOfSpiel · 15/03/2015 10:25

BonyBack

It's a minefield isn't it! Ironically MBDA use Pro-E, despite being part owned by BAe. I started out using IDEAS, which also seemed to be heavily used in the automotive industry but has since been phased out. Not sure what they're using nowadays though.

Anyway, completely agree with your post.

Best regards

MoS

ManOfSpiel · 15/03/2015 10:26

Apologies Boney

Minus2seventy3 · 15/03/2015 11:08

Buddy design may come with time, could be the career progression - you'll learn to interpret the drawings as you do then. Saying that there are plenty who just enjoy the draughting side (it's something I miss, something I do rarely nowadays because of crappy responsibilities in a wider sphere).
You need to find the software packages used in industries local to you - I'd imagine the local colleges offering the CAD courses should be able to advise, as they've got to sell their training - but do your own research too, don't want a qualification in something no one uses.

Like other posters have said, there are plenty of packages out there. AutoCAD is a bit of a jack of all trades, 2D, 3D etc, but some companies may use more specialised software.

Original poster

Buddy80 · 15/03/2015 11:57

Thank you Minus that is really helpful. You are quite right is that there are just so many packages.

I do wonder if there is a "Gold Standard" qualification, but there does not appear to be.

OP posts:

BoneyBackJefferson · 15/03/2015 12:25

Buddy

Unfortunately there is no "gold standard" as there is no standardisation of software, Various companies use various software (sometimes the same companies use different software) and there are hundreds of them.

Solidedge and Solidworks are produced by the same company yet are different (not massively so but it can cause issues when switching form one to the other) Pro-desktop claims to be the educational version of Pro-Engineer and are not very similar at all.

Then throw in to the mix 3D programming software (games) such as unreal engine and its a completely different ball game.

You really need to figure out what you want to do and what it involves before you go any further.

Best of luck.

roland83 · 15/03/2015 12:41

Hey OP,

I did CAD as a night course once and hated it! I was doing a construction course at the same college and thought I would love it, I didn't.

Bear with me..

So then I carried on up to Uni doing Quantity Surveying and part of that was CAD, I was dreading it.. ended up absolutely loving it as the teacher was excellent and really approachable. So if you can read any reviews about the tutors then try and find a good one, or meet them first if you have a choice of tutors/locations etc.

One thing I was told is that you can't really do 3D CAD until you have done 2D, which I can see why, 2D is learning all of the menu buttons and the shortcuts, and then 3D takes it to the next level, so a good knowledge of 2D is a must.

I've come across CAD technicians in the NHS Estate Departments, and my partner has a CAD technician at the engineering company he works for designing tooling. My dad is a builder and uses a guy to draw up his designs now and again for small extensions etc. Just some ideas.

I didn't end up working in Construction in the end, but I know they are crying out for female's in most industries to satisfy equality rules etc.. Not saying I agree with that, but it will be to your advantage when looking for jobs

Original poster

Buddy80 · 15/03/2015 13:16

Oh this is all so helpful and fantastic - thank you so much!

Minus thank you, very grateful for your advice on the software packages.

Boney wise words, much appreciated. I think I will start with the 2D CAD and see what my strengths.

Roland great story, and yes, I will prob look to go down the CAD Technician route. Thank you for posting, I am just really happy to read all these replies.

OP posts:

roland83 · 15/03/2015 13:24

Going back to college and then Uni was the best thing I ever did, even if you just learn a new skill and end up doing something completely different (which I did) then it's a great thing to have the knowledge and experience.

By making a start you are heading towards finding out what you want to do, and it doesn't matter what age you are, you're entitled to be happy and 40 is still really young, you have another 25-30 years of working life left, so you may as well enjoy it

Are you going to be doing a night course? Or a full time course?

Anticyclone · 15/03/2015 13:55

I would re iterate the point up thread about CAD just being a tool. It is a tool to describe a design in a visual format, and just because you know how to use the tool doesn't mean you know how to do the design.

Would being an expert in how to use Microsoft Word make you capable of writing a great novel?

It's the design skill which are important not the CAD skills. I would try and work out what you want to be creating in CAD and then concentrate on learning the design skills needed to do it. The CAD skills are a small part of this IMHO.

I'm a mechanical engineer by the way.

Original poster

Buddy80 · 15/03/2015 14:05

Roland going to study during the day. I have other part-time work, but the CAD courses look to be very flexible.

OP posts:

Original poster

Buddy80 · 15/03/2015 14:06

Anticyclone thank you, that is a very helpful way for me to get my head around the expectations of the course.

OP posts:

darkandlight · 15/03/2015 16:46

Anticyclone is right
Being a CAD designer....is being a designer who can use a tool
Most designers use this as a method of communicating...they dont need someone to interpret their work into another format...eg pencil drawings to computer drawings....
This is not a career at all unless you do the design bit
And most kids are cad competent @ 16....so the competiton for anything without the design skills means very low wages

lertgush · 15/03/2015 17:46

Really darkandlight? My DH has struggled to find CAD technicians to employ in his company. He doesn't need someone with design skills - he can teach them that as part of the training.

AliceMcGee · 15/03/2015 18:07

I agree with others The engineers, architects etc use CAD themselves.

BoneyBackJefferson · 15/03/2015 18:16

"most kids are cad competent @ 16"

That depends on a lot of things, most will be competent at basic packages 2D design etc. most won't have the skills to be classed as competent with 3d design packages.

But CAD is such a broad area that 2D design and sketch up are CAD systems, neither would be used in industry.

CAD packages in school differ so much from school to school and county to county that competence would be hard to define in a blanket way.

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 15/03/2015 18:32

I am in civil engineering and there is a lot of demand for CAD technicians, particularly Revit. A guy who started out with us on an apprenticeship is now earning £37k. He did do college on day release, going through HNC etc and has finished up with a bachelors degree. Starting salaries are far lower however. And, there is far more to the job than just learning how to use CAD; to be useful as a draughtsman means understanding how buildings are put together. That comes with experience, as well as training, and there aren't really any shortcuts. Having experience in IT unfortunately isn't that much help, unless you are going to be helping out with the company's IT systems.

Original poster

Buddy80 · 15/03/2015 18:37

Thank you Whatsthatcomingoverthehill, I have thought of studying for Revit alongside. Really looking forward to this!

OP posts:

AliceMcGee · 15/03/2015 18:39

But presumably his degree is in civil engineering whatsthatcomingoverthehill?

anothernumberone · 15/03/2015 18:58

I am not sure being a cad technician is a job in my sector anymore. They may call the job cad technician but they mean engineering technician. There was a time when drawing was moving from drawing board to computer based drawing that having cad skills would land you the job but now it is a given prerequisite skill but you need the whole package. I would expect you would need a design, engineering or architectural technology background which includes cad as part of the course. I teach CAD among other subjects but without the background knowledge of the construction sector the cad is incidental. In my sector, engineering, you would need at least an ordinary degree in engineering to get a job.

ManOfSpiel · 15/03/2015 19:02

Interestingly enough I've come across many CAD operators in the aero industry who simply put shapes together on a screen, so there is a market for that kind of work. I can imagine that career progression is limited though and it really does help if you have some technical knowledge.

In my experience a CAD engineer is an extremely broad role and know engineers from basic operators to highly skilled engineers with huge knowledge and experience.

I'm sure you have a place within such a broad spectrum OP. You just need to work out what industry and you'll have a clearer path towards your goal.

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 15/03/2015 19:20

Alice, yes his degree is in civil engineering, and he was wanting to move more into the design side, but has now realised he can earn more doing the drawing! He doesn't use his degree to do the design, as in deciding what size of beam and so on to use, that would all be told him by the engineer. But having the experience to know what to draw without having to ask the engineer every last detail is very valuable. And there are certain aspects such as reinforced concrete detailing where there is a certain amount of crossover between design and drawing.

It is my experience that generally design and drawing are split and if anything becoming more so. Revit is more complex than AutoCad, and is very difficult to keep on top of unless you do it day in day out. Smaller companies and one man bands may still do both.

If Buddy is interested in CAD in construction then I would strongly advise that Revit (or MicroStation, but Revit seems more popular) is the thing to go for. Our company certainly wouldn't be interested any more in someone who just did AutoCad.

Original poster

Buddy80 · 16/03/2015 05:55

Thank you whatsthatcomingoverthehill I am looking at Revit. The college I am thinking of studying CAD 2D and 3D also run a course in Revit.

OP posts:

Gaver1974 · 30/03/2016 07:41

Hi Buddy80, since you have seen 2 college courses for City & Guilds Level 2 and 3 in 2D and 3D Design it is not impossible for you to be a CAD Designer. I suggest that you do 3D designing for 3D printing, I know a great and user-friendly 3D printer that can greatly help you in printing and designing. Good luck mate. :)

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