So I am an old field hand turned designer. When I went into design, I was taught by a retired designer that my company paid part time. He started with the very basics of CAD and built up to layout, hydraulics and listing. On his days off, I would be working on any "assignments" he had for me, or shadowing other designers.
If you are serious about turning him into a designer, get him a computer and YouTube has amazing videos that can teach him the basics of CAD. For me, the hardest part of the transition was learning CAD. I find that layout is the easiest for field guys to pick up, they should already have a basic understanding of it, but senior designers can teach that. For hydraulics, I recommend The Sprinkler Academy, Cecil and Travis are awesome instructors that helped me through my NICET III. They have classes from the very basics of hydraulics to calculating loops & grids. Thanks, [Proudly Saving Lives since 1978. Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. Minutes Matter.]<https://www.waynefire.com/> Vinnie Como Commercial Designer [Phone Icon] 813-682-1657 [Phone Icon] 3226 Cherry Palm Dr, Tampa, FL 33619<https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wayne+Automatic+Fire+Sprinklers/@27.9731297,-82.3452243,19.11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x88c2cedf6f61e705:0x68ee7d733b51ea7a!8m2!3d27.9730378!4d-82.3449507?hl=en-US> Locations in: Ocoee /<https://www.waynefire.com/locations/ocoee-florida-orlando> Jacksonville /<https://www.waynefire.com/locations/jacksonville-florida> Deerfield Beach /<https://www.waynefire.com/locations/deerfield-florida>Tampa /<https://www.waynefire.com/locations/tampa-florida> Ft Myers /<https://www.waynefire.com/locations/ft-meyers-florida> Concord, NC /<https://www.waynefire.com/locations/concord-north-carolina-charlotte> Raleigh, NC<https://www.waynefire.com/locations/raleigh-north-carolina/> Minutes Matter (r) From: Brian Harris <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2026 7:44 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Sprinklerforum] From Field to Designer We have a young fitter/helper that is interested in transitioning from install to design. He's been studying to take NICET-1 and is looking for "what next" to do. Looking for some input/recommendations on some type of path forward to help him along. Thank you, Brian Harris, CET BVS Systems Inc. bvssystemsinc.com<http://bvssystemsinc.com/> Phone: 704.896.9989 Fax: 704.896.1935
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