char1

My other half is hoping to work in drafting in Perth next year. Will pass on the lack of AutoCAD, that will be unwelcome news! He works as an engineer now but has no qualifcations in that, just AutoCAD and drafting. Will keep an eye on this post for him and fingers crossed to everyone looking for jobs now!

homewardbound

theres an autocad job in todays illawarra mercury - the job is in Bowral

pacey

Quick q on this subject - I'm a 3D visualiser rather than a CAD user - how many of you work alongside 3d artists? I'm a 3D Studio MAX & VRay user, and I'm wondering what potential there is in the architectural industry. Seem to be a few jobs of this nature on Seek.

I'm assuming it's worth me getting my head around AutoCAD?

sexton_hardcastle

Hi,
I'm wondering how hard it would be to get a CAD related job in the construction trade. I have spent the past 8 years working in the precast concrete industry & although I have an fairly extensive knowledge of precast products, their uses & the industry all of my training was done in-company.

I am quite experienced in my field but feel I have no way so as not to look like I am completley unskilled. How would I go about relating this to any potential employeer?

TheRutters

My advice (utterly unqualified of course) would be to put a lot of effort into your CV. Get the point accross that you really know what you're doing with years of quality experience. (headlining your key skills possibly?) The other is to get on the phone or email and target organisations that you want to work for. Instead of offering them your services, maybe ask them for a 'chat' which gives you the opportunity to get your depth of knowledge accross to them.

To get the job I have now, I spent nine months almost working a night shift tracking down companies, opportunities, writing and answering emails and making calls.

My 5 cents worth anyway

Xgeminix

At BHP Billiton we use V5.1

Dougy Stu

My brother in law got two job offers in Canaberra after being there for about two weeks.

Paul & June

V5.1, that's an old version.
It's now up to V9 I reckon.

Amazulu

Here at FMG/Worley Parsons, the boys use Microstation version 8.2. It's a completely different CAD system to Autocad.
If you want to earn the big candy in Australia you will need Microstation.

xzibit

Well I managed to pick up basics of AutoCAD within a few days when starting my first job from school, so I'm hoping Microstation should be as easy to pick up? The basics anyway. I think it'll be worth learning.

With regards to Adelaide, it's going to be a case of who you know and not what you know when you arrive, I'm not sure whether it's the same Australia wide.

I'm hopefully going to be ok with a CAD job when I arrive as I know a few people there already through family.

Paul & June

I used V5 sometime back in the rail and general engineering industry.
I remember it being much better than Autocad.
Both easy to learn thou.

Xgeminix

Correction it is v8, ...CADConform with v5.1.

scotvness

Just thought I’d give you the benefit of my CAD job-hunting experience. I came to Oz four years ago with an HNC in Mechanical Engineering (gained in 96) and a HNC in CADD (gained in 04) both quals where assessed in Queensland as equivalent to Australian Advanced Diploma. The Mech’Eng HNC was broadly based over several subjects – certainly making me master of none, and the CADD HNC gave me an excellent and fairly in-depth mastery of AutoCAD.

Armed with these I came to Oz (Brisbane) intending to pursue a career in CAD. As was the case before I left the UK, upon arrival there was an abundance of CAD jobs advertised – never seemed to mention a salary figure (except for the more senior positions). On applying for jobs, I had loads of interviews – mainly small companies, none of whom seemed remotely interested in my quals, rather what I could actually do for them and how quickly I could do it; do you know anything about construction, its legislation etc, etc? – No! Conveyor belts? – No! Materials handling? – No! Electrical layouts? – No! – The list went on. I was offered work at every CAD type interview I went for but because of my very limited knowledge of whatever operational process their’s was, I was offered pretty crap wages which would not have improved for two to three years – admittedly then with experience to a reasonably acceptable level.

I was unable to secure anything with a decent wage in CAD and so ended up working as a Service technician for CHUBB for two years where the pay was instantly more acceptable. They even offered me a CAD job – on less money and more travel time). I am now working (very happily) as a Prison Officer earning as much as I would have if I had taken the CAD route.

If I can be of any assistance to anyone please ask

Regards

Scot

Amazulu

4 years later and things are different. You would have no problem getting design work now in Qld - and I bet the salary would be much more than you are earning now.

Amazulu

The latest Ambit engineering salary index for WA. For Qld rates would be slightly less,and for the rest of the country, quite a bit less.