PSA: My town's tech school cutting old-school drafting is a bad move

Lots of people here cheer the shift to only teaching CAD software. I think tossing out hand-drawing and manual skills is short-sighted. For example, our local machine shop had a server crash last week, and their digital plans were gone. The owner had to dig out paper blueprints from storage to keep orders moving. If new drafters can't handle paper, what happens when tech fails? I see fresh grads who panic without a mouse. Keeping some pencil-and-paper practice makes us more flexible, not stuck.

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.drew1mo ago

What happens when the power goes out for real? Paper doesn't need updates or batteries. It's dumb to lose that backup.

miaw671mo ago

Tech fails, paper saves the day, but nah, let's drop hand-drawing.

kai_west1mo ago

Totally get that feeling when the tablet dies right before a big meeting. Always keep a cheap notebook and pen in your bag as a backup plan. Seriously, a quick sketch on paper can explain an idea way faster than a reboot sometimes. Never going fully digital saved me more than once during a power outage.