A Designer’s Journey: The Introduction

From a high school vo-tech program to Design Team Manager

By Tony Acampa

Message from the Editor: As one of SBCA’s dedicated members, SBCA Education Committee Chair, and a design professional, Tony Acampa is well positioned to share with us his professional journey and knowledge about the realm of design. Over the course of multiple magazine issues, he will provide design guidance and insights, illustrating valuable lessons, takeaways, and more, that he has learned over his years in the industry, from his early career to where he is today as Shelter Systems’ Design Team Lead. Read on to learn more about Tony and his journey!

I love what I do. 

It is said that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

I’m not so sure I subscribe to that…because work can be hard. Like any job, there are peaks and valleys, and there are successes to celebrate and challenges that can beat you down. What I love is getting back up – not always on my own, but sometimes with the help of my team. 

I begin this series of design-focused articles by sharing my journey and what I’ve learned along the way. Like many people, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I can honestly say, it’s an adventure I would never change.

I was a drafting geek in high school. I would come home after school, grab my mechanical pencil, scale, and T-square, and get busy working at my drafting table (which I purchased with my own money earned from mowing neighbors’ lawns). I fell in love with the creativity that exists within architecture. I knew this was my passion, so I pursued every opportunity during high school to attend classes that would allow me to draw. During my junior and senior years, I was able to take part in our local vo-tech drafting program, which is where I started to develop drafting skills, a general knowledge of construction, and a strong work ethic. I had deadlines to meet, and l had to work with a team; it was also the first time I was introduced to computer-aided design.

During my schooling at vo-tech, an opportunity arose for a few students to take part in an internship at Shelter Systems Limited. I had no idea what trusses or components were, but this was an opportunity to use the skills I was learning in the workplace. It wasn’t long before the skills I had been developing, particularly my CAD skills, were noticed by some key members at Shelter Systems. I was offered a part-time position during my first semester as a high school senior in 1997, a position I gladly accepted and fit into my afterschool schedule. My primary activity was using the AutoCAD software to layout framing and create a placement diagram. Even though I didn’t really know what it was at the time, I knew how to create parallel lines 3 1/2” apart and space them at 24” on center along a specific run.

Over time, I began to understand what I was creating. I would eventually develop techniques for a better layout and ideas for labeling, and supply my direct reports with the data needed for better job performance. I was enjoying what I was doing and the relationships I was developing, so much so in fact, that one day I skipped my last class to get into the office earlier – hey, I was getting paid by the hour and time is money. Needless to say, I got caught and ended up serving time at Saturday school. However, while the other students were doing make-up work or twiddling their thumbs to pass the time, I had my laptop and a set of plans, working on a placement diagram and getting paid. The teacher assigned to watch over us troublesome students happened to be my old tech drawing teacher. I was proud to share with him the talents I developed and how I was applying what I learned from him in the workplace.

During the second semester of my senior year, I was able to participate in a cooperative education program in which I could go to work during school hours. Because I had all the credits I needed to graduate, I was allowed to leave school early to work full-time at Shelter Systems. This is where everything changed for me: I had to decide whether to commit to a career at Shelter Systems or to pursue a college degree in architecture. I vividly remember weighing the impact of this decision in my 17-year-old brain. To this day, I remember the level of peace I felt about my decision to commit to Shelter Systems. All that I learned during my internship and part-time season is what helped solidify that. I had both the ability to create and the knowledge of the how and why. I was beginning to understand that as a component designer, you are providing your customers with solutions to their problems from both the architectural and structural perspective – this is what I love.  

Written by Tony Acampa