Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) Program
Read about David Twine, a 2017 graduate of College of The Albemarle’s (COA) CAD program.
Driving around Elizabeth City and its surrounding counties, David Twine takes a little pleasure in the feeling of accomplishment he has these days. He knows that he’s had a hand in developing some of the homes that are sprouting up.
About four months ago, Twine began putting into practice some of the skills he has spent the past 18 months developing as a student in College of The Albemarle’s (COA) Computer-Aided Drafting Technology program. Since then, he’s worked as a computer-assisted drafting technician with E.T. Hyman Surveying in Camden. He’s a part-time employee right now, but once he graduates from COA this May, with his CAD degree, he hopes to take on a full-time position with the company.
For the past year-and-a-half, Twine has spent his days learning how to create two- and three-dimensional models using computer software. He has learned the technical skills needed to manage the hardware and software required for CAD, and he has learned about architectural drafting. It’s coursework he has thoroughly enjoyed, and now that he has a job in his chosen profession, he knows it was the right program for him. “The CAD program has helped me understand how many career choices there are in the CAD field,” Twine said. “In this program, I learned that there are CAD-related jobs in architecture, engineering, machining and jobs such as surveying.”
Twine especially enjoys his work surveying. “I enjoy doing things like drawing site plans and incorporating driveways, houses, landscaping and much more,” he said, adding that he would also like to try using his newly acquired skills in an engineering profession, such as drawing schematics. These illustrations show diagrams of electrical or mechanical systems. Although Twine pursued the two-year CAD degree, COA also offers a CAD diploma and a CAD certificate program as well.
When Twine started working several months ago, he said he was ready to hit the ground running, having been well-prepared through his coursework at COA. “For the most part, I knew how to use the program,” Twine said. “But there is still so much I’m learning on the job.”
These days, when he’s not in class, Twine is out working in the field surveying sites for new homes — locating property corners and ensuring that the new dwellings will be built above flood zones. When he returns to the office, Twine spends some time drawing up his site plans on the computer, using the technical knowledge and skills he’s learned in COA’s CAD program. “I feel like I’ve learned a lot from the classes,” said Twine, adding that his nearly completed degree has already helped him step into a career.
COA’s CAD program, Twine said, saved him from a career working with a dredging company in Virginia Beach that had him spending his days on a dredging boat, digging up sand from shallow waterway floors to create deeper inlets for boats to navigate through. He had just gotten laid off from that job when he decided to go to COA and start the drafting program. A week after classes started, Twine got a call from his former employer offering him his job back, but he decided to pursue his degree.
It’s a decision he has no regrets about. “I enjoy all of it,” he said. “It comes really easy to me. I’ve seen a lot of houses go up and are near completion. I enjoy watching it and knowing that I did a little something to help.”