Expert: Bob - 11/13/2007

Question
Hi! I've decided that I want to venture into a career in CAD- but it seems alot tougher to get all the information I need then I thought.. What kind of degree is needed to start an entry level position in this field (after of course I decide what specifically Im going to do with CAD- mechanical drafting or architectual design)? Do I need an Associates degree, a bachlors, or is a certificate from a technical school good enough? It seems like not too many colleges offer CAD programs and the technical schools don't offer degrees- only certifications. I'm worried about jumping into this and ending up with a certification or degree, and then being unable to get into a real job once Im done school. I hope I havent been too vauge, like I said, Im trying to get ALL the information before I start this path.

Answer
Hi--
Your language gives me a hint to one of the things you left out -- whether you are a teenager or older.

You go to school to learn a field, and CAD is a tool within a field.
Courses in CAD only are vocational (like auto bofy repair) and would carry no degree.

I would want to love and understand what I am drawing.  If I am well versed in that field, I am more insulated from having my job killed by new technology.

In other words, your question sounds like, "I think I want to use a wrench, but I dont know if I want to fix cars or build skyscrapers" --- to me, the passion for the field comes first, learning how to use the tools comes next. For someone unlike me, not wanting to be the designer, but the draftsperson: you still must know the field to draw within it, so you still need a field that turns you on.
Find that,learn it, then do CAD within it.

I hope that helps.

BOB