which direction am i heading in?

Good evening members!

 

In august i start studying via draughting academy... in my first part of the course we cover:

 

-drawing office orientation

-building draughting

-mechanical draughting

-electrical draughting

-structural steel detailing

-pictorial draughting

-general draughting

-piping draughting

 

in the second part i have to specialize in one of the following:

-building

-structural

-piping

-mechanical

 

I know im a bit ahead of time here, which one do i choose????????????????? The sooner i can get some clarity the better for myself so i know which direction i need to head in.

 

About myself:

 

Currently i work for a process and instrumentation company where we optimize plants using our equipment, this includes sales, support, new process systems, technical support. Most part of it is sales.(which i hate!!!)

 

I always loved draughting but could never study it due to financial circumstances. ill even gonna go as far as to say i have a passion for it and would love a job in the industry, which is what i am aiming for come hell or water high!!

Love the visual aspect of it and being able to see proposed 3D designs and that the actual drawing/presentation becomes something so real. Its amazing!!

I am kinda a perfectionist and attention to detail is the norm for me in everything i do. Everyting needs to be precise.

 

The problem i sit here with i have love architecture, but dont se alot of opportunities for it here in south africa. I also love oil rigs and its construction and the detail that goes into it. Maybe im too over excited!? hahaha

Which dicipline do you guys think would be a viable direction to approach.

I am also aware of the fact that i wont just walk into a job. But i need to know where the money is at and which diciplines are quite specialized?

 

Your thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated.

First, I'd leave South Africa as soon as I was able. I have a friend in SA who does tank fabrication drawings for some major companies. He complains bitterly about the state of affairs re: companies that operate within the country (shoddy work) and the government as a whole (corrupt). Unfortunately he claims he is too old and set in his ways to get out.

 

Second, I'd look at electrical design/drafting. There will be more and more demand for people with these skills as the world leans more towards alternate energy sources like solar, wind and hydro-electric, etc.

Thanks for your input ReMark!

 

The thing i dont enjoy about electrical draughting is that is not visually stimulating to myself and every dick, tom and harry here in SA does it already. But i hear you, if i ever get the oppertunity to move abroad, ill grab it with both hands.

Then take a look at structural. It can be used in a wide number of areas.

Awesome! I am thinking along those lines... also used on oilrigs , same goes for piping right? which one more would you say? piping or structural for rigs?

And would those kind of draughts mostly be done by consulting companies?

 

First, blah blah blah

 

Second, blah blah blah

 

 

3rd, it's "drafting" Just picking with ya

 

Structural is not a bad field. Once you get AutoCAD down start learning Revit. With it you can do structural and even plant design. Good luck

hahaha, thanks F700es! must be the way the South Africans "draught"

Structural for piping? Only if you are talking about supporting pipe. Think more about buildings (commercial, residential, and industrial), bridges, platforms (oil rigs, liquified natural gas facilities), and alike.

...and thats why i am here on this form, to hear it from the pros, thanks guys!

hahaha, thanks F700es! must be the way the South Africans "draught"

 

I think we all "draught" differently

Which is pretty cool.

Awesome to finally see a fellow country member here. And I'd say yes to Remark's friend, he's got the situation down to a T.

 

Having looked at the job market here last year regarding just how many job requests there are, I can tell you the following:

1. Civil (mainly roads & mines)
   
2. Mechanical (manufacturing, not HVAC)
   
3. Process (plant design, think Sasol)
   
4. Electrical
   
5. Structural
   
6. Architecture
   

Personally I'm in Arch, and the major reason I was able to get a job is due to Revit experience, and because the arch. firm specializes in Industrial buildings. And also because I live in one of the major industrial hubs in SA (Gauteng), originally came from Eastern Cape (where arch. is near non-existent). Previously I was working for the SA branch of an international arch. firm specializing in hotels (I only did 1 hotel in 7 years in SA to completion, but in the same time 10 overseas).

 

I also know most consultancies (HVAC, Elec, Struct, Plumbing, etc. for building industry in SA) are starting to move towards Revit centric drafting - mainly influenced by the architects.

 

As for plant and other, I'm not too clued up - my brother's a Chemical Engineer working for a consultancy which do plant design for Sasol's Secunda site. So my guess is it's about the location inside SA.

Awesome to finally see a fellow country member here. And I'd say yes to Remark's friend, he's got the situation down to a T.

 

Having looked at the job market here last year regarding just how many job requests there are, I can tell you the following:

1. Civil (mainly roads & mines)
   
2. Mechanical (manufacturing, not HVAC)
   
3. Process (plant design, think Sasol)
   
4. Electrical
   
5. Structural
   
6. Architecture
   

Personally I'm in Arch, and the major reason I was able to get a job is due to Revit experience, and because the arch. firm specializes in Industrial buildings. And also because I live in one of the major industrial hubs in SA (Gauteng), originally came from Eastern Cape (where arch. is near non-existent). Previously I was working for the SA branch of an international arch. firm specializing in hotels (I only did 1 hotel in 7 years in SA to completion, but in the same time 10 overseas).

 

I also know most consultancies (HVAC, Elec, Struct, Plumbing, etc. for building industry in SA) are starting to move towards Revit centric drafting - mainly influenced by the architects.

 

As for plant and other, I'm not too clued up - my brother's a Chemical Engineer working for a consultancy which do plant design for Sasol's Secunda site. So my guess is it's about the location inside SA.

 

 

irneb, self ook van die ooskaap, PE om presies te wees, maar woon nou in Kaapstad....

 

Thanks for the valuable info irneb... are those jobs specifically in that order, which is the one mostly asked for do you think? i know its a difficult question to answer, but just thumb suck??? I would love to do architecture but locally they seem very scares and dont pay that much do they??

 

Also, im 30 years of age now... the answer to my question wont really matter to me as i have my eyes set on the prize to do this, but ill ask anyway, do you think its too late for me to start with something like this?

irneb, self ook van die ooskaap, PE om presies te wees, ...

Selfde hier!

 

Thanks for the valuable info irneb... are those jobs specifically in that order, which is the one mostly asked for do you think? i know its a difficult question to answer, but just thumb suck???

It's in order, from most available to least. and no, not just a thumb suck - you can do your own perusals on some of the job-seeker sites. You'll see 80% of them are civil, especially in the Western Cape.

 

I would love to do architecture but locally they seem very scares and dont pay that much do they??

Yep CT's arch jobs are very low paid in comparison to JHB. Over there there appears to be more Mech due to industry.

 

Also, im 30 years of age now... the answer to my question wont really matter to me as i have my eyes set on the prize to do this, but ill ask anyway, do you think its too late for me to start with something like this?

Nope, never too late. Only issue you will have is being a "junior" you're not going to start off with a high salary before you've got a few years experience. So if you can get by with a lower salary for 2 to 3 years you will find that your marketability will quickly increase your salary.

 

The trouble in SA is, everyone's looking for experience - way above any training / courses. And that goes for everything, not just drafting.

Selfde hier!

 

It's in order, from most available to least. and no, not just a thumb suck - you can do your own perusals on some of the job-seeker sites. You'll see 80% of them are civil, especially in the Western Cape.

 

Yep CT's arch jobs are very low paid in comparison to JHB. Over there there appears to be more Mech due to industry.

 

Nope, never too late. Only issue you will have is being a "junior" you're not going to start off with a high salary before you've got a few years experience. So if you can get by with a lower salary for 2 to 3 years you will find that your marketability will quickly increase your salary.

 

The trouble in SA is, everyone's looking for experience - way above any training / courses. And that goes for everything, not just drafting.

 

Awesome, im gonna put my head down and go full steam ahead with this and make the best of it, im very motivated to get into this field andf if i have to take a cut in salary then so be it. If its my way in then its what i have to do!

 

Have you heard about this training facility before?; www.thedraughtingacademy.co.za/

I was going to do the short courses but in the end decided to work from the roots up, hope they provide me with useful info.

It is NEVER too late to embark upon something like what you have in mind. Consider the fact that time does not stand still. How old will you be in ten years if you DON'T do anything? Now, how old will you be if you DO?

Wise words ReMark!!!

 

Thanks for encouraging me even more!!

I went back to school at the age of 28. Turned out I was the "oldest" person in my class too! And it wasn't even in the field I had worked in for the previous eight years.

Have you heard about this training facility before?; www.thedraughtingacademy.co.za/

Actually I haven't heard of them before. Strange that, seeing as their office is only 4 blocks away from my previous company. It seems their courses are very comprehensive indeed, not just the software side - which I think is only a portion of draughting.

 

My first training course was through a company called CadPlan (in the late '80s in-house), while I was an apprentice draughtsman. In the '90s I went to UPE, actually in computer science (part time while still working for the arch firm where I did my apprenticeship). Then worked for an HVAC contractor in PE (shop drawing and workshop/site management), then freelanced for anything from HVAC / Civil / Elec. / Structural / Arch. Finally moved to JHB and got a permanent position in the international arch. firm, during which I also did advanced Revit (mid 2000's) through CadPlan. But I'd say 90% of my software training was done on my own.

 

Now CadPlan's amalgamated with Modena. These days (since last year) we actually get one of their blokes into the office bi-weekly for a day to help in setting up libraries in Revit, give tuts to the staff and general queries / tips.

Also, im 30 years of age now... the answer to my question wont really matter to me as i have my eyes set on the prize to do this, but ill ask anyway, do you think its too late for me to start with something like this?

 

Don't ever think age will stand in the way. I started my working life in drawing offices (about 3 years) before going onto work as a site joiner (more money) I was 47 when I decided to get back into a drawing office. I put myself through night school, 1 year of '3D advanced' which basically means drawing watering cans, and coffee pots but I wanted a bit of paper that said I could use Autocad, the first interview I went for I took a few drawings and my shiny new diploma. They never even saw daylight, practical experience got me a job offer in less than 30 minutes.

Now at my third company and it was the same each time. And as far as the money goes, thats up to you, but keep in mind, if needed a company can spend a couple of weeks/months showing the new boy how they do things and how to trim a line using Autocad, and if they want to pay a reduced wage for that, then ask them how long it will take to get 10 years practical experience into a college leavers head.If you are happy with a lower than market wage, then no worries, your future employer will be too.