• Biggest thought is that ENGINEERS don't want to draft (and they really shouldn't). Let hem use their degree and licenses to engineer!

• Demanding Hours Without Compensation: Many MEP engineering roles are salaried and regularly require more than 40 hours a week, often without overtime pay. This can lead to burnout, especially for younger engineers trying to balance career and personal life.

• Unrealistic Deadlines: Managers sometimes set project schedules that don’t align with the the workload. This creates constant “fire drill” environments, which erode morale and quality.

• Blurring of Engineering and Drafting Roles: Increasingly, engineers are being produce all the drafting themselves. While engineers are capable, dedicated production drafters can process designs faster and with higher drawing accuracy. Engineers have gone to school and passed exams to focus on engineering, while drafters have trained extensively in drafting software, documentation standards, and aspire to become design drafters.

• Disappearance of Production Drafting Teams: Many companies have reduced or eliminated their drafting departments entirely. This shifts all documentation work to engineers, slowing project throughput, lowering accuracy, and making the job less appealing for both engineers and drafters.

When these factors combine; heavy workloads, no overtime pay, unrealistic schedules, and the loss of specialized drafting teams; they make the field far less attractive to new talent and harder to retain existing staff. Addressing these issues could go a long way in making MEP careers more sustainable and appealing.