SPC student explores technical, creative sides in CADD program

LEVELLAND – Ever since she was in high school, Jacey Allison has loved stimulating the creative and logical parts of her brain. In South Plains College’s computer-aided drafting and design program (CADD), she gets to challenge both.

Allison started the CADD program in Fall 2024, but this was not the beginning of her college journey. The Lubbock native said she started at Texas Tech University after graduating from Lubbock High School and later decided she wanted to try a different path.

“I had friends at SPC who liked the college,” she said. “I decided to switch over because I liked the personable aspect of SPC. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I started general studies in Spring 2023.”

Regarding her career goal at the time, Allison said she always wanted to work in the architecture industry but did not know how to achieve that goal via SPC.

“Whenever I was in high school, I liked the arts, and I liked to draw,” she said. “But I’m really good at numbers and math, so I wanted a program that triggered those parts of my brain.”

During her second-to-last semester of her general studies degree plan, Allison said she learned about SPC’s CADD program from her history professor, Cathrine McMahan. She decided to pursue the technical program after she obtained her associate degree in general studies.

“A lot of people think it’s just drawing or more of an artistic thing,” she said regarding CADD. “It’s not solely an artistic field.”

In CADD, Allison said designers draft plans for engineers who build architectural and construction projects. She said her classes have shown her how impactful designers can be.  

“I like the 3-D modeling aspect because it puts what I’m doing into perspective,” she said regarding one of her favorite CADD classes.

The opportunity to work with SPC instructors Terry Stucker and Jason Bush is another benefit of the program, Allison said. With their support and experience in the field, she said navigating the industry is less daunting.

“There are more opportunities to get a job right after finishing this program,” she said. “Even our teachers will help us find a job, whether in their field or for someone else.”

Before she came to SPC, Allison said she wanted to study electrical engineering at Texas Tech but did not know how to progress. Now that she has learned everything the CADD industry has to offer, she said she is at ease about her future.

“It has been very rewarding knowing I could be secure and comfortable after this program,” she said.

Allison will graduate with an associate degree in CADD in May 2026. She said she is interested in working in any job that allows her to do CADD-related work.

For those considering education in CADD, Allison said there is a lot of work involved, and the program can seem intimidating at first. However, she said the support she has received from her instructors and classmates in the program diminished her worries over time.

“Being at SPC has been very nice,” she said. “It’s exactly what I was looking for.”

 

Computer-Aided Drafting and Design

SPC’s computer-aided drafting and design program trains students in engineering and architectural drawing and design. Located on the college’s Levelland campus, this comprehensive technical program prepares students for an entry-level position in machine design, architectural design, structural design, topography, technical illustration and more. Students learn the application of engineering drawing and technical knowledge in solving practical industrial problems.

Students also gain valuable hands-on training using equipment and facilities parallel to those found in the industry. To ensure graduates achieve a competitive skill level for the job market, an advisory committee of engineers and experienced technicians studies current trends in the industry and periodically recommends program upgrades and changes.