Varsha: I came here to Australia in 2022 from India where I had completed my graduation in English and a Bachelor of Engineering. 

After that, I knew that I wanted to do my hobby as a passion, so I chose drafting. 

I didn’t have any work history from India so I wanted to study to start a new career.  I chose drafting because I am interested, in drafting, painting and drawing. So, I chose a drafting course. 

I searched a list of institutes and then I was happy with the information provided by BFDA and the handbook information. 

TS: Your engineering study is obviously very useful. It’s not like you’re starting from scratch in your new career, because you already have an understanding of how things work in construction. What did you find the most challenging about studying online? 

Varsha: It wasn’t very challenging because everything was organised and well-structured in a guided way. We have to only follow the instructions to do the assessments or to do the research about the things what we are studying. 

TS: So did you find that you organised your time in a certain way to progress through your studies?

Varsha: Actually, I was not in work until I was close to completing my course. I started working when I was in course 5. Until then I studied full time. So, it wasn’t that difficult to manage my time. I studied almost every day. 

Mostly I studied in the evening and the weekends. 

TS: Was the work you were doing related to building design? 

Varsha: It was related to construction in a senior estimator role. However, that company moved to Melbourne. 

TS: Did you find the online campus easy enough to navigate? 

Varsha: Yes, it’s beautifully structured. 

TS: Did you find that you used the Facebook groups much? 

Varsha: Yeah, I searched there first if I don’t know something. But I didn’t post any questions. If I needed help I would call the educators. 

TS: So how did you find the educators?  Did you find the assistance you were getting helpful? 

Varsha: One of the things about studying at BFDA is the staff’s assistance. They helped in a well structured way. Everytime I called they answered in a kind and polite way. 

TS: Is there anything you could think of that we could have done differently?

Varsha: I think everything was good. But if you enable the short courses please notify me as I am very interested in those.

TS: Did you have any questions for me, Varsha? 

Varsha: Yeah, I have one question. If I want to go in in the structural drafting using Revit, how can I approach? 

TS: When you find a company you want to apply for work with, you can just show them what you can do in Revit from the work you did in the Certificate IV in Residential drafting. The details you did in Course 6 are particularly useful because a lot of engineers do detailed drawings as well so they will be able to see your skill.  

From BFDA we would like to congratulate Varsha on completing her Certificate IV in Residential Drafting and wish her all the best as she follows her passion for a career as an engineering draftsperson.