If you are take a corse in highschool like I did on architecture. Then the way I started was with hand drafting, then moved into AutoCad. Autocad takes years and years to master. I have been on autocad for about 10 years now and still learn new things that help me out in every day work. If you go to college for Architecture you will need to learn some sort of program that allows you to draw. For yor class Drafting and Illustrative Design, i would put money down on this answer and say that you will be doing hand drafting. IE like houses. If you like to draw then this is a fun class, but is you love to draw buildings then i would say this is the class for you.

What you will be doing exactly will depend a lot on your teacher. Usually in these sort of classes they want the student to prepare some drawings following the parameters of the assignment using the ‘tools of the trade’. The grade you get for your drawings will depend on how well you follow the parameters and how attractive your drawings are. You should also expect to listen to the teacher and have exams on the lectures. Sometimes there is a book to read also but sometimes just lectures. The main thing you will do in the class is work on your drawings since you won’t have the equipment to work on them at home.

These days for Drafting & Design the major tools are a design computer program, word processor program and plotter. Which ‘drafting & design’ program will depend on what sort of equipment and programs your school owns. I suggest you go by the Technical Arts area and ask the teachers. They usually enjoy a student showing interest in their program and should be able to give you an idea of what to expect.

Your class is a good place to decide if you want to become an architect or not. The information and practice you have will also give you a head start if you decide to become an architect, an engineer or a design techinician. It is hard to decide to follow these careers without having an idea of the sort of work you will do with the rest of your life so these classes will help you understand just what these professions do and how they do it.

There is a huge difference when it comes to responsibilities.There are so many different things that are different about the education, but here are a few I experienced. In high school you could get away with not doing an assignment and it not affecting you on the other hand n college your own your own. You do not have a teacher there pleading for you to do your work or letting you know how it affects your grade. Also a big difference I remember is that there are so many assignments in high school so you had room for error, but in college some classes have very few grades so you have to make sure to always give it your best. A lot of the professors just assume you already know the information and do not take the time out to help you out unless you go to them personally. In high school the teacher could spend more personal attention to your work and show their concern for your grades. Basically you are just in charge of your own education and future. You will be okay if you just discipline your self enough to not let your social life get in the way of your education. The college I went to did not “baby” you but did provide the right tools to make a positive outcome in the classes. It just takes effort at any college you attend when it comes to education because you alone determine your outcome.