I'm in my early 40s. Did my bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering (graduated in 2001) and have worked in the field of IT for past 2 decades.
I never worked in mechanical engineering field, but because of my education - I have fairly good knowledge of design/drawing concepts.
I always wanted to learn Civil Engineering/Architecture, but made some wrong choices and ended up doing things I'm not passionate about.
So after spending 2 decades in IT, now I want to learn/acquire new skills. Wondering if there is any certificate / diploma course available in the field of Civil Engineering or Architecture? Google search results return bachelor's degree courses (ETH, EPFL types)- which are of no use to me as I might not qualify for such courses as they require C2 level German/French etc.
I came across a school (called Star Florence Design School) based in Florence,Italy
The idea is to acquire these skills and eventually try to find a part time (low paid is fine) job in this field or do some freelancing work (drawings etc).
You would need to look at the CAS/DAS/MAS on continuing education most likely. yeah ETH courses (iirc ) are mostly in german for architecture but I think there are one or two that aren't. (my sis is an architect and was looking for them.
Check USI in Lugano. I believe their archi program is in english
Before we trample your dreams in the mud, can you tell a little bit more why/what interests you in architecture? What would you like to do, where and how?
There are also MaS and CaS programs, some of them are in English? "Weiterbildung" programs are also very popular in Switzerland.
Where you want to work in the long run is really important. Many civil engineering jobs require the local language as projects are often for the local or cantonal authorities.
CAD skills are often in demand - maybe see if you could do an internship somewhere?
Well, competition would be quite hard here in Switzerland. Draftsman of architectural drawings is a profession in the framework of Swiss EFZ/CFC. Use online translation for this site: https://www.orientation.ch/dyn/show/...r&idx=30&id=76
The implication is that 19 year olds took courses during 1-2 a week and worked at an architectural office 3-4 days a week during 4 years. So, why an architect should hire you instead of one of these 19-20 year old straight out of formation? Maybe even with a couple years of experience of working during formation in the architect's bureau.
The issue here is the drafter formation is theoretical + practical adapted to real world conditions of every canton. Check the jobs for architectural draftsman in jobs.ch the entry to the job is EFZ/CFC formation https://www.jobs.ch/en/vacancies/?te...al%20draftsman
Well done for recognising that you're not happy with your current work, and deciding to do something about it. It takes courage to make such a big life change in the pursuit of fulfilment.
Sorry I can't offer any constructive advice, but best of luck to you!