Jennifer Lai
Computer-Aided Drafting
A good engineer also needs to be a better drafter to clearly communicate ideas to peers.
I was first introduced to drafting in my junior year of high school, as I took an engineering drafting course as part of my requirements to graduate. Little did I know that I would fall in love with the skill and have it become a part of my career.
I started with hand-drafting with an arm connected to the table. After displaying my proficiency in hand-drafting and
drafting basics, I learned AutoCAD and used its 3D modeling feature to create parts and drawings. Outside of class, I competed through an organization called SkillsUSA. SkillsUSA is a middle school, high school, and collegiate-level organization that focuses on careers based in technical services, like carpentry, architecture, and for me, technical drafting.
During my time with SkillsUSA, I competed in two regional competitions and was fortunate to qualify for the 2017 and 2018 state conferences also. I won 2nd place at the Region 3 conference and 4th place at the State conference for Intro to Drafting in 2017. Additionally, I won 4th place at the Region 3 conference and 10th place at the State conference in 2018 for Technical Drafting. SkillsUSA taught me how to strive for the highest, as very detail counted. It was also my first instance of learning workplace ethics, such as professionalism among peers.
At Cal Poly, I continued to improve my drafting skills by expanding my software capabilities to SolidWorks. Through one of my classes, I was able to produce parts and assemblies through SolidWorks and then machine it by hand using mills and lathes. It was exciting seeing my 3D model turn into something tangible.
After the class ended, I decided that it was best to continue to advance my skills on a professional level through Entegris, Inc. Entegris filled in the gaps of what a 10-week class could not teach me, professionalism in industry. My mentor, Eddie, taught me the tricks he learned throughout his 40+ years as a machinist and designer at numerous companies, including General Atomics. He taught me how to use the proper formatting, as well as pointing out to me the importance of making clear and concise drawings, as hundreds of people will be analyzing my work. Most importantly, I learned how to research for my own questions and how to work independently, as this was the first time I did not have a professor to give me answers. I owe a majority of my drafting and SolidWorks knowledge to Eddie, and I hope to continuously produce excellent work for my employers in the future.