CAD/CAM, a good INFJ career?

[Zero Angel]

I always liked drafting in high school, and to a lesser extent, Industrial Arts. Today I went to a presentation on an engineering firm that was using Autocad and various other tools to design mining buildings and machines from the ground up. It seemed interesting.

I'm just wondering if any INFJs here have taken engineering, architecture, or CAD and what do you guys think of it.

 

[Us er Na me:]

I took lots of mech/arch drafting and engineering classes in high school and used CAD in both extensively. I still love hand lettering and drafting on vellum though. I got 12 college credits in high school for it. I did use my skills in drafting for a plumbing company that I worked for after graduation. (1994) I drafted drain and vent lines for specific models of houses and also made lists for pipe fittings for those models. I really liked doing it. I was 19 and my boss was a great guy, you were promoted on your work ethic not how much ass you kissed. So I moved up fast.
My dad died that year. He was going to pay for my tuition. I never got to go to school for it. I didnt have the funds. So I wound up doing something else.


If I had the knowledge I would have gone ahead and gone to school and incurred the debt. I would say it was a great job for me. What I always really wanted to do. I was able able to interact with people then withdraw and finish my projects. It gave a good balance on the intro/extrovert scale.

I have a buddy that redrafts parts for Navy vessels. Within tolerance. The programs are so large that the computers cant handle them effectively. So he basically works for about 20 mins until the computers shut down takes a 7 hour break and the works for another 20 mins. Thats his day and he makes 70k a year doing it.

Just remember schools are a business. They want your money. Competition will be tough. There are lots of people with great educations and experience that are jobless right now. So you need to have your stuff together. Just do LOTS of research on the program you are thinking and dont go to a "diploma mill". I say go for it.

 

[Solongo]

I did a semester of college for Interior Design. I hand drafted floor plans on vellum and studied interior spaces but it was very close to architecture without the engineering aspects.

I found it easy to be very technical and understand blueprints. However, I did not like it enough t continue because I was not excited with the extreme long hours of drafting non stop and finishing projects just to be criticized harshly during presentations. The criticism is needed to advance...but it depends on the professor and INFJ's having strong iN we can sense crappy criticisms and demeaning statements real fast. But it was whole bunch of pooping on your creativity and always being tested. As an INFJ I did not enjoy it even though I could do the projects decently...but the stress too toll on me.

The question is not so much if an INFJ can do the technical drafting and space visualizations and creative thinking....it becomes more about your personal lifestyle. It does give a lot of alone time for an INFJ to be in their world and create...which any engineer/architect/designer get to do after long years of studying and proving themselves. At least 5 years top to be successful in all those fields.

 

[Zero Angel]

I used a Canadian website to research careers that i'm interested in and while CAD/CAM is interesting, the pay is quite limited (note that this field requires years of education, yet pays only slightly above average -- which is unattractive if one has to repay student loans), as well the rate of unemployment in this field is something worth noting.

http://www.jobfutures.ca/noc/2253.shtml

I don't know what employment is like in the 'states, but there is quite a bit of competition in Canada. Becoming a P.Eng (professional engineer) would provide the necessary skills as well as additional ones that would increase skill, employability, and pay.