Discover the Power of Computer Aided Drafting

Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) is one of the many useful skills you can learn here at Pickens Technical College. If you’re like me, and you have no idea what that actually is, here’s a quick rundown of what you could be learning as a part of the Computer-Aided Drafting and Design program at PTC:

• Architecture Drafting

• Mechanical Drafting

• Autocad, Solidworks, and Revit

• 2D and 3D Printing

The Computer-Aided Drafting and Design program prepares you to earn an AutoCAD certificate, which pretty much every CAD worker in the industry has as a prerequisite to employment. At the moment, PTC offers students in this program the option to earn the CAD Basic Employment Skills certificate and the Computer-Aided Drafting and Design certificate. Those exciting certificates prepare you for long and prosperous careers in architectural drafting, mechanical, model building, and rendering.

Instructor Suzanne Payne prepares her students well for careers in engineering and helps them go on to the next level of education if they choose. She has sent many students into the job market to become gainfully employed. One of the most recent students to graduate from her program at PTC and move on to a good career was Tyler, who completed the CAD program and got a job at an engineering firm in Denver earning over $50,000 after two years in the industry. Another, Dan, graduated this spring and now earns $30,000 a year at a local engineering firm. She says that many of her students go on to the Community College of Aurora and the Community College of Denver and some go on to larger state schools like Metro State University, the University of Colorado Denver, and Colorado State University, Fort Collins.

The CAD course is “an excellent stepping stone into any engineering field.” Indeed, the course teaches students both architectural drafting and mechanical drafting skills using AutoCAD, Revit, and Solidworks 3D software, and 2D and 3D modeling printing. Payne says that “employers want entry-level drafters to be proficient on the software and then they teach the employee their field of engineering.” Her class also fills a gap that many state universities have in their CAD curricula: technical software.

The bottom line is that the CAD course prepares students for careers in engineering and many other fields of work that require CAD skills, such as utilities, interior design, sign companies, kitchen layout design, estimators, and many more. This knowledge and skillset are in-demand for several industries, all with job openings in the Denver area and beyond. Payne also trains her students in the basics of how to get a job and prepare for further education, from resume workshops to interview practices. She also provides real-world, service learning opportunities for her students as a part of the course. If you’re interested in learning how to be employed in a professional drafting career, sign up today.