Retraining as an industrial designer, how to do it?

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Hello 

 

I am currently a communication/sales assistant. I am 34 years old and I would like to retrain in the field of CAD and therefore become a CAD/CAD technician or industrial draughtsman. 

I have a background in computer science, BTS management informatics, bachelor's and master's degree in advertising communication and DESS in website creation. 

 

I wanted to know if it was already possible to have a quick training? Or maybe even work-study at my age? which would suit me I admit. 

 

Thank you in advance for your answer. 

 

Nadine

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Hello

To achieve this, you would have to see how to use your right to the training that you owed to your employer or see with training organizations. There are training courses such as the CIF individual training leave that can also be used. It is a training that is done by Greta; and there is also self-training with tutorials in software and those found on the net.

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Hello

In our establishment, we train in one year to become a cartoonist.

http://ts.cism.free.fr/

 

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And my school's website for information:

http://www.erplyon.fr/

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Thank you for your answers. 

They will help me a lot to move forward in my project:) 

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Good pole stretched Alain :)

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Otherwise to be a little more relevant in my answer ;), I myself have made a reconversion.

I got a baccalaureate in "industrial product designer" in 1999 it seems to me.

I then worked in the military for more than 10 years. I came back into the system by integrating a one-year training course (paid for by the army) "senior technician in industrial design" at the AFPA without making any :) publicity. I was fortunate at that time to contact the trainer who had provided me with pre-training courses.

So I got my BTS in 2012, I was 32 years old. ^^

I hope I have helped you a little too.

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Ambitious  project!

I'm going to play the Cassandra on duty.

What do you know about this (exciting) job?

What is a CAD technician?

A technical training in the classic cycle starts in 2nd grade and ends at best 5 years later with a DUT/BTS. In retraining training, without technical bases (a priori) it seems to me that 2 years is a minimum.

@Alain: Among your trainees, have you (had) trainees like Nadine who have (had) no technical background at all?

@Fab: Your baccalaureate gave you the basics (especially map reading, which is what people I see at work miss the most). Pre-training with the basics helps a lot...

A work-study program would be ideal, but you just have to find/convince a company to take you...

Let's be clear, I don't want to discourage you and would be very happy to help you via this forum if you decide to embark on this adventure.

But this job is not just about "jerking off a field mouse" to make beautiful images. The job has become easier thanks to computers but it doesn't exempt you from the rest (calculations to size parts, materials), and it's this "rest" that will be the most difficult to tackle/acquire.

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Indeed Steph, I agree with you on some points.

I think to access this profession you already need a good sense of logic.

At the Pôle Défense Mobilité (the army's retraining organisation), I had passed a good battery of tests corresponding to this field of retraining.

I still had a good foundation left from my Baccalaureate, both in drawing and mechanics. Before that, I had gone through microtechnology, which allowed me to acquire knowledge about machining.

For x reasons I kept my hand on the drawing whether it was for small personal projects or renovations of the house or even during my career as a sailor fuiliser, I even designed a hoop for our boats... well to be honest the first prototype had to be modified because with the accelerations we put in the Gu... combined with the state of the sea... well, uh... it has flexed !:)...

But we still got the result we wanted...

My last year in the army allowed me to get up to speed (thanks to the course provided by the trainer) and to prepare me for the training of BTS, calculus, RDM and so on.

In this training there were 2 training courses together, the BAC and BTS levels for the same duration...

But it is true that there were few people outside the milieu, and the few of these people had difficulty keeping up. After I also think (without wanting to criticize) that it was due to their ability to understand and adapt ... The other people in BTS came either from an "assembler" background at AIRBUS for example or from maintenance technicians... But always linked to mechanics and technique, they had good background in relation because they were well versed in pure mechanics and a lot of experience in terms of knowledge of mechanisms.

Maybe Nadine, if it exists (to be checked), you should do a personality and psychotechnical test (related) to this job, to be sure that it suits you.

This job can be very stressful in some cases and depending on the company you join.

In design you must be able to link skills in calculation (a lot of math), RDM, speed of execution.... and  especially of ideas/ingenuity ... and there are times when it comes and other times when it's total white for a day... (well for my part) :)... Not to mention the stress of the client who wants the project for yesterday ... ^^

I hope I helped you.

Kind regards.

 

 

 

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Hello

To make a good draughtsman in mechanics you need good technical knowledge which in my opinion is not acquired in internship but through practice. The main thing is not to master a software but to know how to design the software is only a help to facilitate the work. It is also necessary to have knowledge on how to manufacture the parts you are creating. I see more and more parts that we don't know how to machine: impossible drilling, unfeasible milling. I'm not talking about the quotation, which can't be acquired in a day. I'm still waiting for a software that would do automatic quotation.

Regardsd

 

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Indeed it's true that the technique (measurement, calculation, ect ... ) I don't have it :/ Would it be more to really see and deepen !!  

In any case, I really thank you for your help, your points of view, your information. 

 

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Hello Nadine,

The classmates responded  well and give you a lot of elements to accompany you in this project. Nothing is impossible if you put in the effort. A willingness and a lot of motivation will be the keys to the success of your project. But first of all, find out about the job. Industrial designer or CAD technician is not computer graphics. In addition, these jobs are more and more taken up by young engineers because  there are plenty of them on the market (especially in large companies).

I advise you to first find out about the job, then to do discovery internships in companies in the R&D design office services. To choose several sectors of activity to get out of the idealization of this profession.

This job requires you to be rigorous, to have a good team spirit. Very good vision in space. Then mechanical and drawing skills, only a complete training will bring these requirements. To avoid short training courses, companies don't want them. I had a candidate of this type and he was not selected.

Choosing a work-study program is ideal because you will have the theory and the practice. It's not a question of age. The work-study program is a good asset , it is what will bring you your first experience. Something that is in high demand once on the market.

To do this training you can ask for a CIF from your company, or the employment center.

 

There you go

 

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@pompon thank you for your opinion and your help. 

yes I'm 100% aware that CAD Technician is not computer graphics far from it!!  

I have to continue to find out more in detail... At the AFPA there is a 9-month training. I think it's the short training you were talking about. should I go for a BTS or DUT?

 

Thanks again

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In my time, it was said that the DUT was more theoretical (university training obliges) than the BTS. In practice, i.e. at the level of companies, I don't think that there is often a differentiation that is made.

In any case, in retraining, I don't know if you will be able to get a DUT. The title of the diploma is of little importance, in my opinion the important thing is that it is of equivalent level to bac+2.

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@stefbeno: ok for the training ... a BAC +2 equivalence to do as a result... I need to find out 

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 Hello nadine.meyer,

The colleagues are all right on the points discussed, however a small clarification is necessary. There is the profession of draughtsman (not designer), which is a job practiced in collaboration with people from BE (teamwork ), and yes it is impossible to know everything about the processes of manufacturing, assembly and ..., otherwise a good part of the posts on this forum would not exist (I am talking about all the trades associated with this activity).

The most logical way to learn is to work as a draughtsman to acquire enough experience and knowledge to then project yourself as a draughtsman;-) , but you have to invest yourself and learn by yourself. It's like skiing, at first it's steep, but then you relax and have fun.

This profession is present in many professional activities, marketing design (toys, perfumes, etc.), pure and hard mechanics, wood, electronics and electrical engineering, construction... It is not necessary to know everything, except the knowledge related to your profession and to know where to look for information if necessary.

Personally, I'm in waterproofing and it's very interesting because it touches on everything (medical, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, motorsport...). I did a professional baccalaureate in electrical engineering, then I continued with a BTS ATI in work-study (it's a training that touches on everything) and I did a long-term training as a CAD draughtsman with ENSAM, this job allows me to design with knowledge acquired during these years of training. It is really the creative aspect and the assembly of knowledge of all these associated activities that attracted me to this job.

Finally, what I want to say is that necessarily at the beginning of your career as a designer, you won't have responsibilities such as sizing mechanical elements or designing a rocket on your own, unless you're gifted or you have an irresponsible manager ;-).

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A.Leblanc: Thank you for your opinion. Indeed, starting as a cartoonist to have a foot in the profession would indeed be what I would need!! but what training title to look for then, because no matter how much I look I find that training of draftsman or alros I have inquired badly :/ or do I go in all senses!!

What does BTS ATI mean? 

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Hello

The title must surely be industrial or building designer.

Computer-Aided Draftsman --> CAD

Computer-Aided Design --> CAD

Technical Support of Engineer --> ATI

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@ a.leblanc: ok thank you!! I'll see what I can find... and inquire !!