In civil drafting, this is where it all starts- as a redline drafter. As far as I know, no one is out of the box ready to take on all the needs and wants of setting up plans. The engineer or designer gives you mark ups, and you proceed from there. As time goes on, you will build your professional relationship with the redliner. When they get a feel for what you do best, they will be able to give you more simplified directions for the redlines.
To get to this, you must never be afraid to ask questions. You may be intelligent, but if you end up doing something incorrect because you didn’t ask, they may not be able to see this. As I was once told by a designer- “There is no such thing as a dumb question.” Making mistakes can happen, but if it can be avoided by asking a question, then do so. Take notes when the task is being explained to you. This way you will only have to ask questions about problems that arise, and not something you have forgotten. Check your work, print out what you have done, and verify that everything in the task you were given was completed. The less time a redliner has to spend checking your work, the more they can entrust to you increasingly complex tasks.
Your success depends on your willingness to learn and adapt to the needs of the company you are working for. If there isn’t any redline work, then ask if there is anything else you can do. For example- back checking the redlines of other drafters, doing calculations for the engineers, or anything else that may be of help. Taking this initiative will go a long way to taking you from redline Microstation drafter, to junior drafter, senior drafter and beyond.
