how to get into autoCAD career?

[ian3mith]

I been trying to look how to get into autoCAD for railway. I have used the program when i was at college like 3 years ago and enjoyed it as it was a challenge. does anyone know how to go down that path? I am currently sponsered by Vital Human Resources( partners with Morsons Group). Thanks.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

autoCAD is a piece of software, not a job. The likely users in the railway industry will be designers and engineers.

 

[ian3mith]

autoCAD is a piece of software, not a job. The likely users in the railway industry will be designers and engineers.

yh i know its a software. haha
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how could i start the designing path then?

 

[Haydn1971]

What exactly do you want to do with AutoCAD ? Infrastructure ? Electronics ? Rolling Stock ? Because each area and others have various tools, stuff like Rolling Stock is much more advanced involving materials, structural, 3D environment, virtual analysis etc... AutoCAD is just a tool of the trade, I keep telling my brother in law this, as he wants to grow his income but is focused on CAD rather than what he does with CAD

I've used CAD systems since the 80's, started using AutoCAD in 1990 on Solaris Workstations which was ace, moved backwards onto MSDOS then Windows versions - I still use AutoCAD occasionally, but my career is more focused on report writing, audits, supervision, checking, specification, costing...

The key thing is AutoCAD skills are as important as having Word/Excel skills, but unless you are a trainer in them, they are not the job

 

[Clip]

As above has said you really need to know what you want to do with it first then people will be able to direct you better - its not just a case of saying I want to do it, you need to define it. Also what Qualifications do you have? Especially as you will need to understand a lot more than how to draw a pretty 3D choo choo train.

 

[ian3mith]

What exactly do you want to do with AutoCAD ? Infrastructure ? Electronics ? Rolling Stock ?

Infrastructure is what im interested in.
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Also what Qualifications do you have?

Do you mean railway qualifications or like GCSE's?

 

[telstarbox]

I'd echo what Haydn1971 says.

AutoCAD is widely used across engineering and construction, but it's a tool, not a job in itself. A successful infrastructure engineer will have developed skills in many areas - design, maths, finance, report-writing, communication, problem solving, etc.

 

[Clip]

Infrastructure is what im interested in.
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Do you mean railway qualifications or like GCSE's?

No, more like any engineering qualifications. Drawing is one thing but understanding what you are drawing and its uses and limitations are surely another.

 

[Emyr]

Go to university.

 

[Haydn1971]

Go to university.

He doesn't have to go to university

 

[Emyr]

If you're drawing stuff without really understanding why it's designed that way, your job is persistently threatened by qualified engineers who also know how to use AutoCAD.

 

[ian3mith]

i am only new to the industry got the basic quals for working on railway. maybe i need to get someone experience and work my way up, probably not the job to start with especially new to the industry.

 

[Haydn1971]

If you're drawing stuff without really understanding why it's designed that way, your job is persistently threatened by qualified engineers who also know how to use AutoCAD.

Sorry, that's nonsense - I've worked with numerous excellent designers who haven't a degree who could walk all over those who have - some people need to be guided, some people have a natural talent

 

[Emyr]

Conversely, Adrian Newey designs F1 cars by hand, but has a 1st-class degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Anecdotes aren't data.

 

[Haydn1971]

Jolly hockey sticks for Adrian - Do you honestly believe that he sits in front of a CAD machine ? The OP wants to know how to get into a career using AutoCAD, advice like yours just gets him into £40k of student debt, it doesn't give him options of X, Y & Z to make a structured career choice

 

[Haydn1971]

i am only new to the industry got the basic quals for working on railway. maybe i need to get someone experience and work my way up, probably not the job to start with especially new to the industry.

For infrastructure (track, electrical, earthworks, stations etc) your first port of call may be to understand what you need to work in a particular field - typically GCSE or higher Maths & English plus a Science, preferably Physics will give you a path to a technician role in a civil engineering consultancy - Geography may also help in transportation engineering - you have choices from there in continuing onto ONC/HNC courses, or perhaps an AutoCAD based qualification - City & Guilds do basic stuff, you can also do a part time degree in AutoCAD too...

I'm not familiar with the options or software for rolling stock, but your starting to get into highly specialised and bespoke solutions rather than AutoCAD - others may have advice on this

 

[The Snap]

An civil/mechanical engineering type HNC or degree should get you in the door with a contractor, but that won't be purely CAD work.

There must be a CAD course available somewhere so you can become a CAD tech..?

 

[Nym]

CAD Technicians in my area are currently a dieing breed, with budgets being cut, in the short to medium term records management and campaign replacement / refreshing of hand drawn records with CAD (The main work of CAD Techs where I've known them) is falling behind to cut the employment costs of the CAD staff. Also, it isn't in AutoCAD.

It is becoming increasingly necessary for me to produce my own CAD drawings to standard using the correct and appropriate tools, with a CAD Draftsman being employed to simply check that it is completed to standard and updated in the master records library, if required, and a lot of the time, my work doesn't require it. Again, not done in AutoCAD.

I have to be able to use four suites of CAD software and actually none of them are the aforementioned one; but the point I have here is that I wouldn't expect you can get anywhere knowing one CAD suite, you need to have the Draftsman skills, and importantly, have a proven record of these skills if you want to get into a position of only doing CAD work. Even then, you'll be expected to understand what it is you're actually drawing, unless you work for a CAD contractor, and even then, you need to know what it is to be able to apply sense checks.

EDIT:

The CAD users that I know of are of the following trades;

Rolling Stock Engineer (Electrical)
Rolling Stock Engineer (Mechanical)
Project Engineer
Assistant Signalling Design Engineer
Signalling Design Engineer
Senior Signalling Design Engineer
Traction Modification Engineer
Electronics and Systems Engineer
EMC Engineer
RAM Engineer
Architect
Civil Engineer

and finally

CAD Technician
Engineering Records Manager / Assistant

Spotting a pattern for the first section?

 

[ian3mith]

I would NEVER choose the `UNI` path, just because of the debt reasons. I have now about the start on the OHL induction course and starting for proper, i will be earning 50K within a few months, i am coming upto 20years old.

 

[Nym]

Come back to me if that actually happens (and if it's sustainable at that level)...