# How usefull a skill is mastery of AutoCAD? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-usefull-a-skill-is-mastery-of-autocad/348424 "2006-03-15T05:58:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-usefull-a-skill-is-mastery-of-autocad/348424/21 "2006-03-16T07:07:22Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > What sorts of things aggravate you on technical drawings? I saw many things that might make a machinist possibly upset, depending on their preference (i.e. dimensions listed vertically as well as horizontally, awkward positioning of instructions etc.). > > What should a draftsman be wary of as far as keeping the machinist happy? To add what the others have said, **don’t** create a drawing filled with optical illusions so that on paper it looks right, until you examine it closely, and you realize that the print’s worth of Escher. One thing that will help you be a better draftsman (besides learning to do it the old fashioned way, and _then_ learning AutoCAD) is taking a machinist course a community college for a semester or two. It should be relatively inexpensive, and not only will you have an understanding of what a machinist (or anyone who reads blueprints for a living) looks for, but you’ll also have an idea of what the machines _do_ and how they do it, and if you decide to go into engineering, you’ll be a better engineer. There’s **nothing** worse than dealing with an engineer who **doesn’t** understand the limitations of the equipment. I don’t remember the urls, but there’s several CAD forums out there, you might want to start hanging out at, to pick up tips and info. You might also want to check out some of the machinists forums for tips. The one I frequent most is this one: [http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/ubbs/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&number=1&SUBMIT=Go](http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/ubbs/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&number=1&SUBMIT=Go) Folks there are friendly, and quite willing to help. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-usefull-a-skill-is-mastery-of-autocad/348424/22 "2006-03-16T08:07:24Z")
Moved to IMHO. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-usefull-a-skill-is-mastery-of-autocad/348424/23 "2006-03-17T10:00:21Z")
Yes, you can get a job knowing just AutoCAD. Not a very good paying job, but a job none-the-less. The thing is, that you have to know so much more than CADD, to get the position that you want. In the civil field of engineering there are 3rd party programs that run in or alongside AutoCAD, and using these programs saves so much time, that you have to know these programs also, in order to be an effective draftsman. As if this is not too much, if you ever want to leave your first job, and you will, you will need to know the programs that your new company requires. AutoCAD is not the only CADD program. There is Intergraph, Carlson and more than a few others. Each one of these programs have add-ons which you will need to know also. And, this is just the CADD level. You have to know how things are going come together in the field, or in the shop, which is a whole other angle to consider. So, if you know AutoCAD, that is a good start. But, to get the salary, and the position that you want, you need to know much more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-usefull-a-skill-is-mastery-of-autocad/348424.md?page=1)