What to Expect
Computer skills are very important for drafting technology students. Freehand
drawing is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
Angela Bruner says that she did a little freehand drawing in the first
part of her schooling, but new students are going straight to the computer.
Is anything lost lost by not learning how to draw freehand? "Not really,"
she says. "I don't really enjoy that. It's good to know the fundamentals,
but you can learn that on the computer, too."
Bruner says she enjoys the architectural side of drafting, especially
3D modeling.
For Curtis Kramer, drafting was a natural career choice. He studied at
Montana State University.
"I like to draw and design things and like to be able to look at the project
afterward and see the progress from the paper to the field," he says.
One of the reasons he chose his program was because it accommodated the
fact that he had a part-time job while in school.
"I was able to get a job with a civil engineering firm my whole senior
year in college, working 20 hours a week. Once I graduated, I was well into
the flow of how the company operated," he says.
"This company hired me on full time upon graduation and in turn didn't
have to take the time to train me since I had already learned everything
while still in school."
How to Prepare
Bruner says that she took some CAD in high school. But it's not necessary
to have that background to get into most drafting programs.
"Basic math is definitely necessary," she adds. "Definitely if their
school offers a CAD class, take that. Other than that, there's really not
that much, just as many drafting classes as possible."
"I would recommend high school students take as many computer classes
as possible to prepare for drafting," says Kramer.