CAD Drafter looking

[CAD_Guy]

Hi,

I am a CAD drafter who has recently moved to Finland and has a permanent residency visa. I have over 10 years experience in using AutoCAD.

Brief overview of my experience:

• 17 years in the electrical industry
  11 years in a manufacturing environment in Canada
  6 years in consultancy engineering work in Australia
  Capable of electrical design work with little supervision
  Able to draw plant arrangements and installations, switchroom design and cable runs
  Instrumentation and PIDs drawings
  Some experience in civil,structural and architectural drawing
  Have worked in the following industries: steel processing, oil and gas drilling, aluminium processing, nickel processing, coal stockpile and transport and water

I recently finished work on a water desalination plant in Australia worth 1.3 billion AUD where I was lead electrical drafter. In Canada I was a application specialist/contracts manager working with large customers in the steel and oil and gas industries.

Regardless of my experiences I am currently open to working in any position that requires CAD work. Either on a contract or full time basis.

If you have suggestions of possible positions with companies please let me know. I have contacted what I believe to be the big players in Finland but I might have missed some.

If you wish to inquire more about my skills please contact me via a personal message.

Nick

[Cod]

Hi Nik,

You'll probably find work, since draughting is a great job of foreign types like us.

A few suggestions though which might help. If you have trouble getting into work on the basic skills in Autocad, you may want to consider using your 'looking for work' time to get really good at .Net and Lisp.
.Net is particularly brilliant since it works across more applications than Autocad....and as you know - the moment you start using Autocad as a database, rather than a printing application - your boss gives you a raise.

You may also want to pick up Revit and Tekla, since their products are really picking up steam. Tekla is particularly great since it's finnish.

My thinking is that if you can be really expert on something to do with CAD and computers, you will find a job. That's because nobody has the time or money to retrain staff in new software or software features.

So whatever you do, use your spare time wisely. For me, I'm learning VBA to run Autocad Architecture - since the office is a little quiet. I'm an architect, not a computer whizz, but I need a thicker collar for when the axe begins to swing

[CAD_Guy]

Hi cow-heada,

Thanks for that information. I didn't think that companies would be looking for CAD developers as there are a lot of good products out there that will do most of what people want. I tried to convince most companies I worked with that going to a better system would solve a lot of problems and streamline processes but they were very reluctant. Instead they spent thousands of dollars developing custom systems that seem to be reliant on one programmer. Never a good idea.

The most development I've done is integrate AutoCAD with MS Access for a small database.

You wouldn't happen to know if there are any courses for .NET, VBA and lisp anywhere in English? I've tried to learn those things on my own and I always get stumped.

I was under the impression that Revit was mostly used in the architectural field. Is it a common program in most places now?

Also I've never heard of the Finnish program, is there training somewhere for that too?

I've also have had a hard time finding CAD jobs online. Is there anywhere particular I should be looking? I've gone to MOL and Monster and there's very little there.

[hackoff]

Hi
you can enroll as an open university student in HaagaHelia for example they have some course in .NET nowadays

[CAD_Guy]

Thanks for that information hackoff. I'll have to see what they have on offer, there's an open house on Thursday. Are there any more of these type of schools around in Helsinki? I live in the city so going out too far is a bit of a pain.

[Cod]

didn't think that companies would be looking for CAD developers as there are a lot of good products out there that will do most of what people want. I tried to convince most companies I worked with that going to a better system would solve a lot of problems and streamline processes but they were very reluctant.

The trick is to never never give up. Our company is now using AEC polygons, Dynamic Blocks and Property Sets with styles...that's what I call progress - but it took 3 years.

The most development I've done is integrate AutoCAD with MS Access for a small database.

Great, then you know more than me already. If you said to an office that you can integrate their Autocad with a database in a fully automated manner that means no body has to learn anything new...the may listen.

You wouldn't happen to know if there are any courses for .NET, VBA and lisp anywhere in English? I've tried to learn those things on my own and I always get stumped.

Never, never give up. Use google. Use http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=92 etc etc. It's all free, it's on the net and if you've got time...it will pay off.

I was under the impression that Revit was mostly used in the architectural field. Is it a common program in most places now?

Also I've never heard of the Finnish program, is there training somewhere for that too?

I've also have had a hard time finding CAD jobs online. Is there anywhere particular I should be looking? I've gone to MOL and Monster and there's very little there.

Revit is on the cards for electrical and structural. IFC doesn't work. Autodesk don't like it. So they're making DWG and Revit format the industry base standard. We use Autocad Architecture, because it works. Revit doesn't work in architecture - it's far too complicated to model in BIM, but it does in engineering where there are less unknowns.

Tekla is big. Google it. Learn it and you'll find work. It's very good software - very fast, smart and global.

I don't think you'll find jobs online. Carry your laptop into an office, ask to someone about work - when they walk into the room, show them your fantastic presentation of what you can do in a 30 second mpeg animation or the like. You need to come across as the kind of guy that can lead them somewhere they want to go - which is why I suggest that learning .Net , or VBA(which is dying but hey) and Tekla and Revit. Make some great images, put in on your laptop and go get work

[CAD_Guy]

Thanks for that information cow-heada. Not to be a pain but where do you find a list of companies that do drafting? You can't just go up to any company and go "Here's my pretty pictures" if they don't use that kind of software. Also since I'm mostly electrical many companies might look at my drawings a bit funny!

With regards to programming I find I have to take a course. I've looked on many websites and have tried many times to understand certain things only to be more confused. So I know what you're saying with not giving up but I think I need formal education of some sort at least as a starting point. Being as old as I am we didn't have programming in school as a subject like many schools do these days.

I only did minor integration with MS Access nothing too fancy so it would take a lot to get other information out of a drawing than what I have done.

Since I'm more from the industrial side of things you can understand why I haven't heard of Telka or used Revit as neither are used on large projects like plants. If you're doing plants it's normally Autoplant by Bentley. Also in the electrical field Promis E was becoming popular as was some other program that I've forgotten now. I haven't run into too many places using AutoCAD electrical.

I'm not giving up or anything just need some guidance that's all. I'll see what else I'm capable of doing. Maybe I can come up with a nice database for AutoCAD run on MySQL or something.

[Cod]

..hmm, big plant design might be a bit more tricky.

My sister is an electrical draughtsman, she's also worked around the world on all scales of projects but is pretty much on AutoCAD moving to Revit soon.

Your problem will always be language. The way around that is the set up an English speaking niche, like a cloud around you in which you can work and generate results that your work mates are really happy with.

To find companies to work for? Internet and just keep knocking. You want to the most persistent guy on the block for the next 6 months. Keep knocking, keep going back, never give up.

Go via CAD vendors to get a list of who they have licences with. They usually don't mind releasing this info, since it's not confidential.

Keep knocking on doors, since even if that door turns out to be shut, they may at least show you where the door bell is for the next place - and you hadn't even realised that there it was a door at all!

[CAD_Guy]

..hmm, big plant design might be a bit more tricky.

That's the stuff I did recently I'm quite happy doing other things. Prior to doing the large processing plants I used to do vendor side design. So size and type is not an issue.

Your problem will always be language. The way around that is the set up an English speaking niche, like a cloud around you in which you can work and generate results that your work mates are really happy with.

I don't really want to work in an English niche (I know that some engineering groups will speak English if there is an English speaker) as part of what I want to accomplish is to learn some Finnish. We're planning on staying here for some time so I want to learn the language.

The vendor idea is a good one. I'll follow that up.

Thanks for your help. I you happen to run into any type of CAD work let me know. I'm pretty open to doing anything.

Nick

[onkko]

Commercial and vendor side plants... sounds fishy. Police just stormed one store what sold plant equipment

/ill get my coat and good luck

[CAD_Guy]

Commercial and vendor side plants... sounds fishy. Police just stormed one store what sold plant equipment

Thanks!

[Cod]

I don't really want to work in an English niche

..what I mean by that, is that you're clearly not going to work in Finnish, so all people working with you - either against their will or not, will be speaking english. It's unavoidable. You'll need to work in an english niche. Break out of it as fast as you can, but the guy hiring you knows he can't put you in a site hut with Finnish-only speaking contractors. That being the case, you need to work with that concept and make it work. That's why I think there may, and that's is a big 'may', be mileage in scripting for CAD as a look in for Finland - it takes weeks to work on it, it's a great tool and you don't need to talk to anyone for days so your employer has less to be concerned about, in terms of keeping you busy.

[Mölkky-Fan]

Welcome to Finland.

My company employs AutoCAD draughtsmen (mostly electrical cabling layouts, low location lighting etc), currently we have two Spanish draughtsmen working for us. I am expecting to need one further in a few months if things go well, so I can give you an interview a bit nearer the time if you are still looking.

Times are tough, and most companies are being forced to downsize (including us)... however there are some seeds of recovery in our business, and with a bit of luck we will bring in two large projects in March/ April. Language is no problem, as we have little work here in Finland and the marine yards are struggling here.

Contact me if interested by PM and I can send my contact details.

[Cod]

..and in strolls the Gift Horse.

[AldenG]

So CAD_Guy, how good are you with an epee?