Daily Life of a CAD Designer

As you decide whether to pursue the CAD Designer career path, it is important to consider what the daily work of a CAD Designer looks like. CAD Designers typically work a standard 40-hour workweek, though there are options for part-time work and even overtime with this career. Much of a CAD Designer’s day will involve creating and troubleshooting designs using industry-specific CAD software. CAD Designers will often also have a daily team meeting and many can also be tasked with visiting a job site to take measurements or talk with engineers, architects, mechanics, or surveyors. Knowing more about the day-to-day tasks and workflow of a CAD Designer will help you to decide if this career is one you are willing to invest energy and effort into pursuing. 

What is a CAD Designer?

A CAD Designer is a skilled professional trained in using computer software to create and refine designs of buildings, structures, machines, and manufactured parts and products. CAD Designers work in a variety of industries including architecture, automotive, construction, engineering, manufacturing, and textiles. The role of a CAD Designer is important to many companies because it is their drawings and models that get created and turned into physical objects and structures. Because of this, CAD Designers need to have strong attention to detail and communication skills so that their designs are accurate and meet the exacting requirements specified by various stakeholders. 

The job of a CAD Designer is skills-based, meaning that one’s skills, technical abilities, and industry experience are prioritized over having a specific college or university degree. While some industries may look for a CAD Designer to have at least an Associate’s degree or training from a vocational school, most employers will also accept three to five years of on-the-job experience instead of a specific degree. CAD Designers need to know how to draft, use math and engineering principles, and be particularly adept at using industry-specific 2D and 3D CAD software, Microsoft Office, and any other project management software required by the organizations they work for. These professionals will work collaboratively as part of a larger team that can include Architects, Engineers, Surveyors, and other Drafters and Designers.

CAD Designer Specializations

The most important specialization for a CAD Designer to consider is which industry they want to work in. CAD Designers are frequently employed in industries like architecture, civil engineering, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering, construction, manufacturing, jewelry design, fashion, and tech. Each of these industries will have a different set of concepts and tools for a CAD Designer to learn and might also involve further sub-specialization. A CAD Designer who specializes in learning 3D modeling, simulation, and animation, for instance, could find themselves working on 3D printed product designs or working on VR within the game industry. 

When thinking about what to specialize in, think about your interests and needs. Those who like having an impact on public works projects should consider becoming a CAD Designer who works in civil engineering whereas those who like electricity, wiring, and circuits can consider working in electrical engineering instead. Many CAD Designers will start as CAD Operators or CAD Drafters before moving onto the more creatively independent role of Designer. An Operator or Drafter is an entry-level role where one will need to know how to use CAD software and can learn other skills on the job. Starting as a Drafter or Operator can give a prospective CAD Designer an idea of what working within an industry will look like, so this can help with the process of specialization. 

Starting Your Day

The start of a CAD Designer’s day will look similar to that of most professionals. CAD Designers typically work a 40-hour workweek and use their in-office or on-call time to perfect designs, attend meetings, troubleshoot with engineers and other team members, and visit project sites. The first step to a CAD Designer’s day is waking up, going into the office, readying one’s preferred beverage, turning on the computer/s, logging onto work systems, and starting up CAD software. 

Remote CAD Designers will have fewer steps to take before arriving at their home office, but will still need to have their CAD software up and running and mentally prepare for the workday. Those working remotely or part-time will likely have more flexibility when it comes to scheduling when, where, and how they do their work. This often means that one will prioritize meeting specific deadlines and can start earlier or later in the day than those CAD Designers who work in an office setting. 

9 AM: Check Emails & Review Project Designs

While starting one’s CAD software is often one of the first steps for a CAD Designer, most will also check emails and messages for colleagues and team members. The very beginning of one’s workday will either involve responding to high-priority emails or getting started right away reviewing designs in the program most used by your industry. Most CAD Designers will work on four to five projects at the same time, though some beginning CAD Designers might work on a specific task designated by a lead engineer. 

From the very beginning of the day, much of one’s work as a CAD Designer will be creating or looking over designs in a specific CAD program. CAD Designers will need to update designs, check measurements or accuracy, and make sure they are meeting the job specifications, as detailed. 

11 AM: Meet with Team

A CAD Designer will often have a daily meeting with their team members to discuss specific designs and keep everyone updated on the progress one has made to complete designated projects. These meetings can be scheduled early in the morning, in the early afternoon, or even later in the day, and will typically last for about 30 minutes to an hour. Many organizations schedule and hold daily meetings through Microsoft Teams, so having a working knowledge of this program is useful for a CAD Designer. These meetings will allow team members to not only share their progress but also allow the team to set work priorities or shift priorities should any issue arise that needs to be taken care of before completing another part of the project. 

2 PM: Troubleshoot Project Designs

Much of a CAD Designer’s daily work will be looking over project designs and working to troubleshoot any issues, in collaboration with other team members. A CAD Designer is a designated problem solver and should expect to be in contact with various engineers, architects, or surveyors (depending on one’s industry) about the designs of specific structures or products and any issues that have been found or changes that need to be made. Troubleshooting work for a CAD Designer can involve changing designs using CAD software and checking industry standards and regulations to make sure that designs are compliant. This kind of work can also involve taking measurements by hand on the factory floor where products are being manufactured or going to a building site to get a better idea of how one’s designs correspond to reality. 

5 PM: Wrap-Up for the Day

By the end of the workday, a CAD Designer will have made progress on multiple projects or finalized a project. Like most working professionals, CAD Designers will remain attentive to project deadlines so that they know which work to start with and prioritize for the next day. CAD Designers might write down a quick task list or make note of any upcoming meetings in Teams so that when they arrive for work in the morning they can get started right away. 

After Work

CAD Designers mostly work regular hours and do not generally have to complete additional work after hours. This regular schedule leaves ample time for one to pursue leisure activities, hobbies, or other forms of professional development. Someone looking to strengthen their design skills can learn other CAD software or engage in networking activities after working hours. Becoming familiar with a wide variety of CAD software will keep critical thinking and design skills sharp and allow one to gain new skills that can be useful for work on future projects or should a CAD Designer want to change industries at some point. Networking is a good idea for both those looking to remain and progress at their current workplace and those looking for openings elsewhere. 

A CAD Designer might have to work longer hours for specific reasons. Though uncommon, a CAD Designer might need to work additional hours to finish a high-priority project or to meet a tight deadline. This will mostly involve needing to review, adjust, refine, and finalize designs in CAD software at one's regular office (or, if working remotely, at one’s home office). But, it could also involve going to a work site and meeting with clients and different stakeholders for an important project. 

Learn the Skills to Become a CAD Designer at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers a variety of in-person and live online classes that will teach prospective CAD Designers the skills they need to learn to be successful designers, workers, and leaders. Those wanting to learn CAD Design can find AutoCAD classes for every skill level and might also be interested in Noble’s Microsoft Office and project management classes. Every Noble class provides hands-on training from an expert instructor and class sizes are kept small so that students can receive individual attention and feedback. In-person classes are available at Noble Desktop’s Manhattan facility and live online classes can be taken from anywhere. 

Those pursuing a career in CAD Design will be particularly interested in Noble’s AutoCAD classes. If you are unsure whether learning AutoCAD is right for you, consider starting with the six-hour Introduction to AutoCAD class. This one-day class will teach basic drawing and editing techniques using AutoCAD and get complete beginners started using this software. To become proficient in AutoCAD, learners will want to take Noble Desktop’s more comprehensive or advanced AutoCAD classes, bootcamps, and certificate programs. Noble Desktop’s AutoCAD Bootcamp is a great way for beginners to learn up to intermediate-level AutoCAD quickly. Bootcamps are accelerated classes and they are one of the best options for those who want to get started using AutoCAD right away to learn necessary, career-oriented skills. 

Bootcamps are not right for every learner and prospective CAD Designers can also take individual AutoCAD classes or sign up for a masterclass to take all three levels of AutoCAD back-to-back. Beginners can take, intermediate learners can take, and advanced learners should take. Beginner-friendly AutoCAD Level I focuses on drawing fundamentals and teaches students how to organize, edit, annotate, and prepare drawings for printing. AutoCAD Level II for intermediate learners adds to this knowledge to teach students advanced and customizable layer techniques, how to create, edit, and store blocks, and how to work with external references and create data tables. Advanced learners should take AutoCAD Level III which focuses on training students how to complete AutoCAD projects from start to finish and provides advanced training in how to use the tools necessary for each project and how to use AutoCAD’s collaboration features. Those who want to take all three classes sequentially should look into signing up for the AutoCAD Masterclass. 

Beginners and those with AutoCAD experience interested in becoming an Autodesk Certified Professional should look to enroll in the AutoCAD Certification Program. This complete program of study provides beginning, intermediate, and advanced training in AutoCAD, six hours of private one-on-one tutoring, and the Autodesk Certified Professional in AutoCAD for Design & Drafting exam with a free retake option. Certifications are a great way to prove to employers that you have the skills necessary to be a CAD Designer and some will require certification for employment or advancement in one’s career. 

Noble offers two 3D modeling classes that CAD Designers should also consider, 3D Modeling in AutoCAD and SketchUp Pro Bootcamp. Both classes will allow students to learn how to turn 2D drawings into 3D models and will teach the foundation of 3D modeling and editing in their respective software programs. 3D Modeling in AutoCAD requires students to have familiarity with 2D drawing and teaches learners to create solids and surfaces from 2D objects and to use more advanced features of AutoCAD to edit, visualize, and refine the view of one’s models. No previous experience is necessary for the two-day SketchUp Pro Bootcamp which will walk students through the steps of creating a 3D model, working with shapes, solid tools, and text, and exporting and rending one’s 3D model.