trainee CADD/BIM engineer/operator?
This is my first post in hwz. So the very first post started back in Feb 2011 and indeed, this posts continues on because the company is still growing and riding along the strong wave of the construction sector - mrt, hospitals, housing estates, commercial buildings etc.
Based on the colourful responses thus far, it is fair to conclude that everyone's perspectives differ, not only based on character, but also on their experiences. Moreover, the question still remains relevant today, and let's give it a slight twist: Anyone ever worked as a trainee CADD/BIM engineer/operator? I shall try to answer the question and also give some of my own opinions from a neutral stance.
The construction industry is currently undergoing a major shift from 2D CADD autocad and microstation drawings to 3D Revit and aecosim (mainly for LTA projects) due to authority submission requirements. Therefore, if you are interested in (1) software, (2) career in a construction industry, (3) buildings/architecture/mechanical or electrical systems, then regardless of which company you go to, using Revit will be an essential skill that needs to be picked up, along with basic 2D CAD skills.
What will a trainee the CADD/BIM engineer/operator do? First you will receive essential training on 2D CAD skills, followed by 3D modelling skills. Next, you will be attached to different companies, and the time period will depend on the contract period. Here is where the crux of the issue lies. Regardless of which career you go, there will always be a (1) learning phase, (2) adaptation phase and finally an (3) application phase that continues to repeat in an endless cycle. It is important to understand that learning is not something that is given, one has to continually seek out new things to learn, to question and to invoke a sense of curiosity. Only when the right learning attitude has been established, then can one perform very well in his role during the attachment. Personally, I have seen people who adopt a wrong learning attitude, they prefer to stay under the shadow of the supervisor, awaiting instructions like a child. There are also other, whom are like lost sheep, people who have no idea how to chart their life journey in this world and many tend to take a laid back approach towards learning. However, when one starts to take ownership of his work, and treat it like his own child, he begins to try, learn, resolve, spend time and effort to mould his child. Then he will begin to understand his own worth, that he is like a third or forth arm of the supervisor.
Now, that we have dealt with how one should approach a career or any job, let's move on to the next issue, salary. People tend to associate salary with their self worth, and it is an issue that often goes deep with people, evoking strong emotions of happiness, pride, anger, hatred, disappointment and many more. The most important question is this: Is the salary sufficient to make ends meet? If it isn't, then you should obviously be looking for another job because a job is something that keeps you alive and not the other way around! However, there may be some good reasons why one should join a job when the salary is not sufficient are: The job is essential to for the career path that you have decided on (for instance a professional engineer or architect needs to work in a consultant firm), or your family has sufficient reserves to tide you until your salary increases beyond the break even point. Once you have worked out whether the salary is sufficient or not, and made a decision, then what matters will be back to the learning attitude. Regreting a decision is fine, feeling a variety of mixed emotions over it is ok as well, but what matters is we pick ourselves up, reorganize our priorities and make a new decision - to stay or leave.
Ultimately, we are the ones in charge of our lives. The construction industry is not one for the faint hearted. It is one full of stress, long hours, arguments, etc. A positive attitude goes a long way towards managing your career in this or any industry. I would rather be a bright orange every day, smiling both outside and inside, rather than a sour plum, gloomy and unapproachable. (If you do not believe me, try to fake a smile and gauge whether you feel slightly better or worse). If you find that you are not suited to it, try the other industries, some obviously pay better than others; it is common to hear people say that engineers migrate to the financial industry due to better financial prospect.