Drafting boards, design software, and teamwork are all prevalent in a computer aided design career. You'll work with a team of people to turn a dream into reality. Your part will be to create the initial design that everything else is based on.
What does a computer aided designer do?
Those who are experienced in computer aided design can find work in a variety of environments. They can work as drafters, graphic artists, landscape architects, fashion designers, and engineering technicians. Essentially, any product that requires a blueprint also requires a computer aided designer.
Once on the job, the responsibilities vary tremendously depending on the position. Typically, the designer will be working with a client or with others in their firm to bring a project to life. The designer will work on the project throughout several stages, and will be responsible for creating several drafts. If you want to be successful, you'll need to be excellent at both communicating and understanding what others want you to do. Your job is to express their needs in the form of a design.
How do I become qualified for a computer aided design career?
Post-secondary training in Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) systems is mandatory. While you may need to do some designs with a pencil and paper, you'll be doing most of your work on a computer with a CADD program. These drawings will be given to a variety of different professionals, so accuracy is paramount.
Note that you will not need a university degree for most computer aided design careers. Rather, a diploma from a technical school or a community college should be enough, depending on the position. In addition to courses on how to use CADD programs properly, you should also earn credits in computer graphics, computer technology, math, science, and various design classes.
Expect to move from general to specific throughout your career, as you'll have to specialize in order to find work.
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