Should I go to school for home inspection, real estate appraisal, or CAD (computer aided design)?

Question

I'm trying to do something with my life, and I have narrowed my interest down to these three topics.

Which one do you think I should pursue?

Which one would be the best career choice? And, why?

Which one would I have the best chance to get a steady job in?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Anybody can go to school for appraisal, but then you need to find an apprenticeship that will last about a year and a half before you can be licensed to be on your own. The required education will cost about $1,500.00. Some people have found it impossible to find an apprenticeship. Just some things to consider. By the way, good appraisers are always in demand.

Answer 2

This is indeed a tough one as it depends which state you are from and market trends for each. Also there is more to consider before even considering any of the three. Guidance counsellors at unemployment/human resources center would be your best bet in helping you figure out which is really best for you. Hope other better answers will come along shortly.

Think about what subjects you can tolerate ie. business math, how would you like to interact with ppl, do you like stepping away from the office or stay there the whole day before going home. Do you prefer doing reports with business figures, refer to the Building Code along with paper work or just doing dwgs on the computer all day adhering to tight deadlines? For now they are all going to have steady jobs in industry with CAD having the most entry level ones avail to those who are very good at it of course.

Do more research esp the CAD as there are still more job divisions e.g. in civil, mechanical, structural, electical fields to consider. Though if you find a good college that has home inspection with a CAD more so AutoCAD component that would be a good thing. Have you considered Building systems design that might include home inspection and AutoCAD courses?

Real estate appraisal is your best choice only if you can handle business practices, business math, salesmanship etc.

Answer 3

That's quite a range of vocations! IMHO, there's no reason why you can't study all three at a decent liberal arts college or specialty school. Some realtors even offer free courses, if you're willing to intern with them for a period of time.

Home inspectors are very experienced with construction and applicable zoning laws, and, of necessity, need to know how to spot potential problems. In the US, there are usually gov't exams required prior to becoming an inspector (i.e., it's treated the same way as an insecticide applicator, architect, etc).

Real estate appraisors generally have been in the real estate industry for a while, are able to recognize buying/selling trends, and know something of the community they intend to appraise (i.e., a $500,000 home in one community/county/whatever, may not sell at the price in the adjacent one).

Both of the above are not in high-demand, right now, because most realtors can handle appraisals, and most home inspection companies or individuals are licensed and have firm customer bases. The market is probably saturated, right now. On the other hand, experience with one would be a great leaping point for the other, and there's no reason why you couldn't do both, though, perhaps, not for the same client, as that may be construed as a conflict of interest.

Depending on what you want to design, CAD can offer the most lucrative salaries of the three vocations, and good CAD designers are highly sought after, some straight out of high school! You don't need to be licensed to work on a CAD system. Good CAD designers can generally go between different industries (wood, metal, interior/exterior design, etc), with little trouble, so there would be plenty of work available, should one industry or company suddenly see a fall-off of work. CAD contractors make very good money.

I think I've sold you on one of the above,
but, ultimately, you will need to decide for yourself,
which suits your talents (if not your wallet or pocketbook!).

Good luck!

Answer 4

As a mechanical engineer with 15 years experience using 3D CAD systems (SDRC, Pro/E and SolidWorks) I'm astonished that anyone is offering a BSc in CAD, unless the course was educating you to create CAD systems from scratch, which they do not. CAD modelling is simply not that difficult to master, it's just a tool, an ancillary skill that engineers use to develop and communicate their designs. The analysis applications can get quite a bit more involved but you've got to thoroughly know the underlying engineering principles first. As someone has previously stated, study a mechanical engineering or related course to learn the core skills the market is actually looking for. On these courses you will be exposed to CAD and will learn the basic principles of the technology. Once you get your first job they will most likely send you on a week-long course to learn the operation of their particular CAD system and then you'll develop your skills with the support of your new colleagues and a few additional short courses. That's what happens everywhere I've worked.