<p>I'm interested in hearing from all current/former engineering students on CC. Please answer the following three questions:</p>
<p>What is/was your specialization?
What is your current job title (if applicable)?
What percent of your time at work would you estimate you spend using CAD software?</p>
<p>This is just for my personal information. Thanks a bunch!</p>
<p>What is/was your specialization? Mechanical Engineering/Aerospace Engineering
What is your current job title (if applicable)? Graduate Research Assistant
What percent of your time at work would you estimate you spend using CAD software? 5%</p>
<p>My major was civil engineering and I had a concentration in construction engineering and management. My current job title is Project Engineer, though I’m really working more as an Assistant Superintendent. I spend 0% of my time at work using CAD.</p>
<p>My shameful secret is that I enjoy using AutoCAD, lol. I’m an engineer, but I also do our company’s drafting as well as that of other local companies. I can charge a good amount per hour and it’s less stressful than structural design. It’s also a good fit for me since we have kids at home, and I’m always running around doing stuff with them. My husband loves it, because he can give me very rough sketches and I can make them look good without needing a lot of explanation. So I’d say I spend about 3/4 of my time on it. The rest of the time is engineering and administrative work (bookkeeping, etc.). As far as job title, my husband and I co-own our firm and we are the only employees.</p>
<p>What is/was your specialization? Civil/Structural engineering
What is your current job title (if applicable)? Project Manager
What percent of your time at work would you estimate you spend using CAD software? I spend about 10% of my time using CAD software, but CAD causes, either directly or indirectly, approximately 50% of my headaches.</p>
<p>^ What kind of headaches, aibarr? Mistakes made by CAD operators? Scaling issues? Clients wanting your electronic files?</p>
<p>One of my biggest CAD headaches is when an architect “helpfully” sends us his/her plans for our use in developing structural plans. 99.9% of the time, there are things drawn NTS and even non-orthagonally. WTH?? Almost always, it’s easier for me to start from scratch. Clients think that CAD is magic, but I agree, it can be a pain.</p>
<p>Well, we’re trying to integrate some pretty huge Civil 3D and Revit files and coordinate with several subs. We get updated backgrounds with major changes about every two days at this point. Also, the project is so big and we’re so understaffed that we’ve got some folks in India who are our CAD Elves… Everyone sends them the drafting that wasn’t finished during the day, they work on it all night, and then they hand it back to us in the morning. Unfortunately, someone has to answer their questions at two in the morning… and four in the morning… and at six in the morning…</p>
<p>(…and she still has to be at work the next day!!)</p>
<p>I loathe people who don’t draw things to scale and send them to me as though they’re supposed to be helpful… If you’re going to hand-sketch something, USE PAPER… don’t put it in CAD; that implies accuracy! Ergh…</p>
<p>Oh, I’ve done a couple of jobs in Revit for other firms. Ack! Your situation sounds really difficult - that’s incredible you have to answer questions in the middle of the night! How long is that situation going to last? I can’t imagine outsourcing CAD work to India. I’ve had enough trouble the few times we’ve hired somebody across town to help us!</p>
<p>My “Mom” instinct is coming out - take care of yourself! It makes me mad you have to be on call at night.</p>
<p>Thankfully, it’s not every night… We’ve got a bit of a post-submittal lull right now. (But of course, life being as it is, my husband and I are in the middle of buying our first house and moving right now, so… not really a lull!)</p>
<p>I’m “managing up” a lot right now to try to get things into a better situation. We’re just way overworked and understaffed because our project is more or less floating most of the company right now, and the stupendously-stressed project manager that I’m working under is kind of a control freak. Every action or FYI e-mail from me is followed up by a “Please be sure you do this” e-mail from him… Sigh. Blergh. People.</p>
<p>Good luck with your new house, aibarr! That’s exciting. Of course it would come at a time when you’re swamped! That’s how things always go for us. My husband had to be at a job site at 4 am for a concrete placement, four hours after our first son was born at midnight.</p>