×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

(OP)
About 6 months ago I left my first engineering position that I had for about 5 years to take a contract job. I was told the contract engineering job was contract to hire, but during the contract the business
really slowed down so rather than getting hired full time, they let my contract end. I used 3D CAD software to design products at my first engineering position. This experience has gotten me an offer to do drafting work for a company. Which I believe starts out on a contract basis. Anyway, given my current circumstances, is it overall a good move to accept this drafting position? The pay is much lower, but it is enough to cover my expenses with a little left over. My main concern is that putting a drafter job down on my resume will be an issue when looking for an actual engineering position. As in, it may get me labeled as someone who cannot hack it as a real engineer.

RE: Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

Yes, but it also gets your foot in the door with this new company while more than covering your expenses. Who knows what may happen? As for the label, don't let it stick! Control your destiny.

Good luck,
Latexman

Technically, the glass is always full - 1/2 air and 1/2 water.

RE: Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

I read an article recently describing how employers preferentially hired less qualified candidates who where currently employed or recently unemployed over more qualified candidates who have been unemployed for extended periods of time.

That being said, I am of the opinion that having a job would be better than not having a job. If you are able to convince the company with whom you will be working to hire you as a full time engineer after your contract, good on you. Otherwise, you can describe how it was an opportunity for you to advance your CAD skills in a down market.

RE: Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

I agree; carpe diem! Get in, and show them your engineering chops, while doing CAD. I would think that if you are good enough, and the company is able to hire pure CAD jockeys, then they may have enough business to slide you into an engineering position. Just make sure that your pay slides commensurately.

TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers

RE: Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

One problem here is that if you are a graduate ME looking to obtain your PE, this could negatively affect (i.e., as in extend indefinitely) your timeline to gain and claim the required professional experience to get your license.

If you are a designer and do not intend to seek and engineering license, that's another matter. I understand the economic situation, believe me.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

RE: Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

Alternatively msquared if the OP is one of the many engineers (yep I said it) in exempt industry who don't give a @#$@#%#$@ about getting their PE because it is of limited value then time spent drafting not counting toward PE experience isn't really an issue. (Sorry if the chip on my shoulder gets in anybody's eyes.)

I started my position at this company as a designer/drafter on contract. Within a month or so of being here they were looking to poach me into engineering and while the official transfer took longer (and I detoured into a drawing checker role for a while) I was doing engineering work after a few weeks here. I may have been a little underpaid initially (though much better than my immediately previous gig at Rite Aid) but it gives you a useful anecdote.

As to whether it's backfired in that I'm still a bit more of an engineer/designer than what many would call a serious hardcore engineer I'm not sure. That issue may have more to my relative intelligence etc.

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

Sorry Kenat... Poor choice of words on my part.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

RE: Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

I was in a simalliar position. It took me a while to get out the cad trap. Now where I work, they wont even let me use CAD, which does kind of suck when you have those realy small pickups
One thing you can do is ask for a review at 1 year or so for the possibility to move to engineering.

Future PE Engineer
Pet project I am working on to help other engineers, not much yet hoping to get it grow as I learn more
http://www.peexamquestions.com

RE: Taking a Drafter position, good idea or bad idea?

job > no job

Work hard at the new place as a drafter and someone will see that you aren't supposed to be a drafter and they can better use you to do more for cheaper. I started out probably as the worst job in my industry but used everything to my advantage and here I am now. If you are good and make friends you won't be a drafter for long.

B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer
http://bwengr.com | http://bwstructuralengineer.com | http://bwcivilengineer.com

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources