I worked in that field thru the 1990 downturn. Before 1990 draftsman/designer job postings would ask for a lettering sample. I was laid off from an ink on vellu

I worked in that field thru the 1990 downturn. Before 1990 draftsman/designer job postings would ask for a lettering sample. I was laid off from an ink on vellum design shop but luckily had a buddy who was still at college and had access to a machine with AutoCad ($5000 in hardware and software in 1990). I visited him for a weekend and worked thru a teach yourself book and was then able to pass simple interview tests. I was lucky to have access to a machine to train myself and young enough that I was still looking for an entry level position.