Articles - Summer 2007 - return to index
Drafting program helps Mark Schmidt design a new career
 |
“I have continued to come back to Lane to keep up with employers’ changing needs, as technology improves.” —Mark Schmidt |
Mark Schmidt at Turner Construction Company keeps a vigilant eye on incoming e-mails from subcontractors working on the Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, currently the largest construction project in the Northwest.
As electrical construction supervisor, Schmidt is responsible for reviewing requests for changes in the hospital’s electrical network—a complex maze supporting everything from patient beds and diagnostic equipment to heating and ventilation systems. He reviews each request carefully, because modifications to architectural plans significantly increase construction costs.
Schmidt likes the challenge.
The international construction company offered Schmidt his position in April 2006, before he had completed his two-year associate of science degree in drafting at Lane Community College. “They were looking for someone who was decent with AutoCAD software,” Schmidt says. AutoCAD is Computer-Aided Design software.
Schmidt, 44, earned an associate degree from Lane’s electrical apprenticeship program several years ago. When an on-the-job injury ended his employment as an electrician, he enrolled at Lane again and studied drafting.
“With CAD software, the client can see what their building is going to look like now,” Schmidt explains. At Lane, he also learned the fundamentals of Revit software, which he uses on the job to calculate “the actual costs for modifying electrical and building design specifications.”
Schmidt says, “Lane’s drafting program gives students the opportunity to work in a state-of-the-art CAD lab that is equipped with advanced hardware and software.”
Schmidt recommends learning AutoCAD. The need for drafting skills will be “in very high demand as we move into the future,” he says.
As a lifelong learner, Schmidt says, “I have continued to come back to Lane to keep up with employers’ changing needs, as technology improves.”
Find out more information about the Drafting Technology program at Lane.
Read more Lane Success Stories
