I recall on a few occasions hearing statements similar to the title. The comment often came from CAD engineers still called drafters 25 years ago. I never heard that statement when I entered industry in the late ‘70s when board drafting was in its final days. There were drafters, designers, Sr. designers, checkers, and engineers. The roles were very clear. If any animosity existed, it needed a subject other than pay to fester. With the advent of CAD eliminating the drafting board, those clear lines no longer exist. On a superficial level, a drafter and engineer sitting side by side at CAD stations can appear to be doing the same work. This has caused delusions at all levels in companies.
Job applicants have told me they have many years experience designing using CAD brand X. After a few bad hires, we started to test applicants. We asked the prospect to start a drawing from scratch and they could not. The delusion that they are doing the same work really struck home. What they did during those years was copy and modified other people’s work. They could never have originated much of what they worked on and had little appreciation for what it took to do so, but they had the title of design engineer. I believe the following article by Matthew Loew, Chief Engineer Daxcon Engineering Inc. explains the problem and defines what a design engineer is.
Job applicants have told me they have many years experience designing using CAD brand X. After a few bad hires, we started to test applicants. We asked the prospect to start a drawing from scratch and they could not. The delusion that they are doing the same work really struck home. What they did during those years was copy and modified other people’s work. They could never have originated much of what they worked on and had little appreciation for what it took to do so, but they had the title of design engineer. I believe the following article by Matthew Loew, Chief Engineer Daxcon Engineering Inc. explains the problem and defines what a design engineer is.
RSS Feed