Drew Moncada was inspired early by his mother’s determination as an immigrant and developed a strong artistic foundation growing up, especially in drawing and mechanical interests.
In high school, he discovered AutoCAD and technical drafting from an important teacher and mentor. This led him to compete in SkillsUSA where he won national silver and bronze medals.
Moncada’s SkillsUSA experience and strong portfolio landed him immediate job opportunities after graduation, leading to roles in architecture, design, and construction and working on major projects.
After becoming a fan of PlanGrid, he joined the organization as a technical consultant. It was later acquired by Autodesk, bringing his journey full circle as he now creates training content for the company whose software helped launch his career.
Drew Moncada’s success story begins before the classroom and his eventual, successful technology career that followed. It starts with his mom. As a first-generation American, he grew up watching her build a life from the ground up after she immigrated from Jalisco, Mexico to Brownsville, Texas with limited, formal education but a strong work ethic.
“I have this photo of her working at Burger King wearing the 1970s-era uniform with the funky hat, while she was learning English at the same time,” Moncada says. “I know she wanted the best for her children and worked hard to give me opportunities she never had.”
Growing up in Brownsville, a historic border city at the end of the Rio Grande, the area is known for its rich cultural heritage and as a gateway to trade and manufacturing with Mexico. Having an artistic gift, Moncada drew constantly, filling sketch book pages with cars and comic-book figures like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog. His dad gave him a military aircraft recognition book that he studied cover to cover and credits it with his future fascination for mechanical drawing.
“Family and friends marveled at my drawing skills from a young age,” he says.
Moncada never really experienced or even thought about architecture, construction management, or technology career opportunities until he hit high school. Then everything changed.
Moncada first started using AutoCAD (R14) in high school. He enrolled in an introductory drafting class where he learned the fundamentals of technical drawing and began translating his natural, artistic ability into precise, structured work. As he advanced, he joined a drafting program led by a teacher affectionately nicknamed “Mr. T” who would become an important mentor.
In Mr. T’s class, Moncada learned the fundamentals of orthographic projection, dimensioning, and 3D modeling with AutoCAD. It was in this classroom that he also first discovered SkillsUSA (formally known as VICA, or Vocational Industrial Clubs of America). You couldn’t miss it. Accolades for Mr. T’s previous SkillsUSA winners were decorated all over the walls. SkillsUSA is the number one workforce development organization for students, and their mission is to empower students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders, and responsible community members.
“Everybody wanted to see their name on the wall,” Moncada recalls.
Moncada decided to pursue the technical drafting category for SkillsUSA. Students at his high school competed first within their own class. Those winners then advanced through district and state levels before reaching what is now known as the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC), and Moncada did—twice in 2001 and 2002!
Preparation for the national competition was intense. Under Mr. T’s guidance, Moncada trained on weekends, gradually extending his capacity to work for long, uninterrupted stretches. Plotting out completed orthographic and isometric technical challenges on ANSI D size paper, Mr. T would “redline” the drawings and suggest corrections at the end of the day. The practice sessions were always opportunities for growth.
“In the training segments, I got to spend a lot of time with Mr. T,” Moncada says. “He was always someone to look up to and really made an investment in me along with the other students because he cared so much about all of us.”
The NLSC brought together the top student drafters from across the country for an eight-hour challenge that tested both technical fluency and problem solving. There was no collaboration, no external input. Each competitor worked alone, translating a complex physical object into a complete set of technical drawings.
“Being at the SkillsUSA Championships was amazing, seeing all these fellow students from across the country,” Moncada says. “It was surreal to think that I, as this first-generation American from a small border town in Texas, could compete with the best at the national level. I realized how different my path was and how much my mom had done for me to have this opportunity.”
The days, weekends, and months of training paid off. Moncada placed second in the nation, earning a silver medal. Then he returned the following year to medal again with a bronze. He had definitely reached the goal of getting his name on Mr. T’s wall and then some.
“Hearing my name announced as a national winner and walking up to the podium to receive my medal was one of the greatest moments of my life,” Moncada says. “I worked hard to get there, and I was proud to bring honor to my mom, Mr. T, school, and community.”
With two national SkillsUSA medals under his belt, Moncada had also accumulated a portfolio of incredible work. It included mechanical drawings, architectural designs, and early 3D work, all produced in AutoCAD at a level that exceeded typical expectations for a high school student. At a senior-year job fair, Moncada presented his portfolio and received an offer on the spot.
He began working at an architectural office, then moved to a design firm where he contributed to residential and commercial projects across the region. From there, a larger architecture firm recruited him, and he spent several years working on increasingly complex projects, including the design and development of a $65 million high school.
“Having an amazing teacher, coupled with an excellent drafting curriculum and joining SkillsUSA, prepared me with the hard and soft skills needed to succeed in the real world. I never struggled to find a job after graduating,” he says.
Later, Moncada would go on to work as a BIM coordinator for an electrical subcontractor in Austin where he was introduced more closely to the construction side. He started using PlanGrid to manage blueprints and became a huge fan and daily user of the software.
“I would tell so many people about it that they thought I actually worked for the company,” Moncada says.
Turns out, he would soon land a dream job working at PlanGrid. Then something even more unexpected happened.
In 2018, PlanGrid was acquired by Autodesk. “I called Mr. T and told him, ‘I work for Autodesk now,’” Moncada says. “It was hard to believe.”
Today, he works as a senior content developer at Autodesk, producing educational materials for Autodesk software. It isn’t lost on him that he’s now working for the same software company that paved the way for winning SkillsUSA and then his future.
“I know from experience that learning industry-standard Autodesk software in school along with joining SkillsUSA can transform your life and unlock career opportunities,” he says.
The impact of SkillsUSA on today’s students continues to grow. Since 2000, it has grown from 70 skill competitions to 114, including additive manufacturing, 2-, 3-, and 5-axis CNC programming, cyber security, digital cinema production, mobile robotics technology, and many more.
“It's inspiring to hear Drew's story and the impact SkillsUSA made on shaping his life and career,” says Chelle Travis, SkillsUSA Executive Director. “SkillsUSA’s mission is to empower students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders, and responsible community members has been our driving force for six decades. As we navigate an era defined by rapid technological shifts and a shrinking talent pool in essential trades, SkillsUSA is evolving into a critical economic engine focused on workforce development."
