Is this worth the trouble?

Design Discussions design employment
1

ok, so right now, I’m about six months out of school with a BFA in ID, working as a drafter because it pays better than flipping burgers. I finally got tired of drafting and told my boss, who knows I don’t like being a drafter that I think we needed to talk about my career and future here at this company.

I’m not tooting my horn here, but even though I don’t want to be a drafter, it would be pretty crappy to just screw around all day and not give it my best effort, and as such my boss has offered me a promotion.

I am trying to find areas in which to apply my design education but sometimes I feel like if I keep working here, I’m going to push myself out of competition for the design positions I want.

I’m going to post the description here, and am looking to see if anyone would hire me if this was the type of experience I had. There are a few points that I could push on a resume but I’m not sure.

Tell me what you think.

I. Summary or Primary Function:

The Mechanical Designer participates in the selection of components and design details to create a good design which, indirectly, affects sales volume. This position also requires the efficient performance of a job as well as the direction of any subordinates that can impact the work accomplished versus the budget.

II. Key Result Areas and Activities:

A. Layout and design specific areas as assigned per (the companies) procedures and Standards.

B. Perform calculations required to complete work assignments
regarding weight, fit, function, stress, etc.

C. Verify and check drawings and parts lists for accuracy.

D. Assist in systems development as required such as drafting
standards, parts list systems, computer programming.

E. Direct work of one to four drafters.

F. Make parts lists and detail drawings when required.

G. Work with a minimum amount of supervision because of experience
and technical competency.

H. Support engineers on design projects.

I. Contact vendors to gather technical data on purchased components.

J. Assist and train contract personnel to provide them with technical and
project leadership.

K. Travel occasionally to support Engineering, Sales & Service
departments.

III. Required Minimum Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

A. Adequate formal schooling to handle technical areas associated with
the position and be aware of up-to-date techniques related to this
field.
B. Interpersonal skills - Ability to interact with persons both above and
below this position.
C. AutoCad - Ability to create clear concise drawings using AutoCad.
D. Computer knowledge - MS Word, Works, Windows 95, etc.

IV. Desired Education, Training and Experience:

A. 2 or more years of Vocational school in design and drafting
techniques as well as advanced courses in the applicable technical
field.
B. Minimum 2 years experience using AutoCad.
C. Minimum 3 years experience in a related mechanical field.

V. Licenses and Certification:

VI. Working Conditions:

A. Office Environment
B. Occasional travel

VII. Supervision:

Supervise drafting personnel to generate detail drawing, diagrams, parts list, etc.

2

i dunno. do you feel happy about it?

i think times are going to get tougher than they are now. can you wait out the pending recession at this job? is the company healthy enough?

3

Thats an angle I may have overlooked, they’re not going anywhere, and have little competition in a niche area. Maybe I still haven’t lost/discarded the ideal of the rock star designer, sitting in a room full of other creatives with alternatively fashionably clothes and horn rimmed glasses.

Is anyone else here working in a position like this? This really wasn’t was I was shooting for was it?

I feel like the company atmosphere is a great one, I had never heard of a company that no one leave, theres quite a few guys here that have been here since the 60’s.

I’ve been trying to challenge myself to find areas I could use my design skills in, but how can I get a consulting firm excited about the weldment I designed that uses less pieces, less assembly and weld time and is actually stronger that the original one when it is just a weldment for a pressure equalizer?

I just don’t know these days, on the one hand I know there is a recession, and I have continued to have positive comments about my portfolio, as recently as last week, but sometimes I still have low career esteem.

4

Please don’t take this the wrong way, but this is what professional designers have told me that entry level is always somewhat crappy but it’s all about gaining experience and building your portfolio, experience, etc. No one becomes Jonathan Ives or Karim Rashid immediately and they always give drafter positions to newbies or so I think. I would stay there and wait it out for a year. You are just starting and need something to put on your resume. After a year, then you can leave. :slight_smile: Good luck.

5

It’s easier to find a job when you have a job. Get as much experience there as you can, keep building your portfolio and applying for positions, and get out. That is a pretty common year one. I started at a small design firm mostly doing painful drafting work for Hertz (yes, me). I don’t even list it on my resume, I was there 3 months. During that time I sharpened my skills and literally worked all night most nights on my portfolio until I landed a spot at Evo.

The owner was pissed I bailed, I am glad I pursued my passion. I stayed at Evo for over 4 years before moving on to Nike.

6

Thanks, I was starting to feel like I was the only one who had ever had to take a crappy job while I found what I wanted to do. I hindsight, I don’t know why I would have thought that.

Anyway, you are definitely right about it being easier to find a job if you already have one. Mainly because sometimes while I’m applying to positions I really want I get hungry and would like a sandwich or something that costs money.

7

i have never had the idyllic design job. those are for the 1%. i wear business casual because of our dress code policy and i dare to defy by wearing brown suede tennis shoes because they are largely unnoticable. yes, i’m a maverick, watch out. :neutral_face:

conceptualizing as a group has happened more in my design firm positions than my corporate.

don’t knock what you have. if every junior designer i have worked with had more technical skills to balance their enthusiasm and theoretical work, i would have less gray hair and my insight would be far less skeptical.

i have enjoyed my firm positions far more than my corporate, but they were also heart-breaking. my corporate positions have been plodding and wealthier, but less rewarding in design substance.

basically, my career, all 11-12 years of it, has consisted of boring corporate jobs where i nest until a firm position opens. the firm positions have been shooting stars, burning bright, but don’t last long (mainly due to economic reasons), then back to a corporate where i am over-paid, ignored and underwhelmed.