Electrician eager to enter Engineering field

[cnizzo303]

I'm 26 years old and I've been an electrician now for 5 years. I enjoy the field, but am ready to move on in my schooling and career. Design/engineering is what interests me most at this point and I've signed up for CAD and drafting classes for the upcoming school year this fall. I've also completed about 40 credit hours toward an engineering degree, and plan to continue on and get my 4 year degree finished up as well.

What can I expect if I'm trying to enter this field as a CAD operator/drafter? I want to get into a position where I'm exposed to design and engineering as soon as possible. Is the route I'm on a good one?

 

[JStephen]

It sounds like you're actually dealing with two or three choices there.

A straight-up engineering degree won't have a lot to do with CAD or drafting. You'd typically have one or two drafting-type classes at the beginning of the program and that's about it. A major element of the engineering program is going to be math, and a lot of the engineering courses themselves will be very math-intensive. And some of that stuff can be pretty abstract, too. Anyway, if your math skills are not first-rate, watch out. Electrical engineering includes power-type stuff like most of us think of, but also includes a lot of electronic-type stuff that may or may not be of interest to you.

You can get degrees in CAD or drafting. I'm not sure if there are 4-year programs, I know the local community college has a 2-year program. Typically, the program there would involve drafting in a bunch of different fields.

You can get degrees in various branches of engineering technology. I'm not that familiar with the programs, but I think they tend to be less math-intensive and a little more hands-on.

Look at the different programs. If you have no clue what a particular class is, go down to the local college bookstore and take a look at the textbook for the class; that can be informative.

 

[IRstuff]

You haven't said which engineering discipline you're going after. Are you intending to be an engineer? If so, you need a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited school. Anything less will not get you an engineering position.

As stated by the other poster, CAD and drafting are not considered to be the primary job of an engineer, alhough MEs will use CAD to implement their designs. An MEs primary job is to design mechanical structures using their engineering knowledge and training to meet design requirements. The CAD is secondary to the engineering.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[TheTick]

Getting into CAD will at least put you in a better position to see what engineers do (and what is done to them).

It may not pay as well as journeyman lektrishun.

 

[abusementpark]

I'm not sure if this is an anomaly or not, but I have seen a situation at a local commercial electrical engineering firm where someone with only a CAD background has assumed a project management type role.

He goes to a lot of the project meetings and deals heavily with clients. I'm assuming he has gleaned enough knowledge about the engineering side of the job through osmosis. I'm wondering if most of the calculations for commercial electrical engineering are simple enough in concept that they can taught well enough to someone without an engineering background.

 

[cnizzo303]

Thank you all for your responses. I guess the reason I originally started this thread was because I had just been on another forum where I was hearing A LOT of negativity and discouragement about getting into the cad/drafting field. I think several of the negative posters on that site were being far too black and white about the subject, and also failing to remember the economy we're currently dealing with and how that affects things. But they were saying things like this:
     1) Drafting is a "lost art"
     2) All engineers nowadays know how to use CAD and do most of it themselves 
     3) The "CAD Operator" position will eventually kind of die out as a result

I was very skeptical of what I was hearing on this thread but wanted to go somewhere else for a different viewpoint. I actually had an informational interview set up with a local engineering firm a few months back. From what I learned there, CAD operators and designers work under licensed engineers and essentially do the same work. Obviously the engineers take most of the responsibility and are the ones putting the final seal of approval on drawings and projects, but designers/operators are doing alot of the same leg work to get to that final product. It's much like journeyman electricians and apprentices, we all do the same types of tasks, but the journeyman is ultimately responsible for the finished product. 

Anymore thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. 

 

[Eleventy]

I really don't think that people who are CAD specialists will "die out" they will merely not likely ascend into higher positions. this is assuming they do not have an engineering degree and are like an ITT tech sort of person.

Of course, given enough skill, anything is possible (even though they will obv not become a PE), but the majority of CAD positions I have seen have fairly low relative salaries. although, the benefits of working at a good company and having a career are priceless for a lot of people.

 

[Contrivers]

To gain exposure to this field as soon as possible, you should see if your school works with any local firms on internships and Co-Ops. This would be a great way to get your foot in the door and get a taste of what is going on. Your experience as an electrician will be a great asset if you go into the architecture and Engineering world, as a designer or an engineer.

I dont think there is anything wrong with getting into the design/drafting profession, but if I had a child I wouldn't recommend they pursue this field.

I was in a similar situation to yours back in 2001, was in my 3rd year of an electrical apprenticeship and decided I wanted to move on to engineering. I went on the get my BSEE and recently passed my PE.

While I work with a few designers who are former electricians or HVAC mechanics, they are all ridden like horses with little thanks. Many, not all, of the senior drafters/designers make around the same or a few grand more than the fresh out engineers, throw in the PE and the salaries become vastly different.

They also on occasion have to deal with the often unruly fresh out engineers. As a designer/drafter, some arrogant 23 year old fresh out WILL try telling you how to do your job and WILL throw their degree in your face acting like that piece of paper makes them some vast bastion of knowledge. This may not be true at all places, but it has been where I am at now, the last place I worked, and I see it often with the other A&E's we work with now. Do you want to be the hammer or the nail?

If you have the aptitude I would recommend you get a engineering degree. For the first few years at a design firm you will be filling the designer/drafting role for a senior engineer as he mentors you. It will get old and you will eventually want to spread your wings, the engineering degree offers you that opportunity. Otherwise you will most likely stay in the bullpen and gripe about the software package, or why the young engineer got a promotion and you didn't when you both design/draft with the same level of competence. (if you do become an engineer you will still gripe about the software package and complain when the engineer with the PE got a promotion and you didnt even though you're just as good an engineer).

 

[TheTick]

CAD specialists will not die out before clueless managers.