Although my background is in fine art...
I have always worked in engineering environments, from the defense industry (Lockheed - 1980-93) to the software industry (Oracle - 1997 & 1999), to the entertainment industry (SEGA - 1994-95). My very last assignment at Lockheed in 1993, the year I was layed off, was to help the "Special Projects" group of esteemed artists and illustrators make the transition from the drafting table to the computer. I already had 7 years of experience on the computer, because while they were doing the one color cover, I was working on the 2000 pages of text and graphics (mostly charts and graphs) which made up the contents of the proposal documents. For a sample of what I drew on the VAX, use the left nav menu to find Lockheed.
Ancient History
Once upon a time... I taught graphic design at San Jose City College for seven years (1973-1980) while I was earning my BA from San Jose State. I also worked for a number of design firms in that time period. At one of these, I was a professional calligrapher for a firm called The New Scribes, where I hand-lettered menus, certificates, wedding invitations, and the like. I also worked for conventional design firms, using typography and page layout. I operated a stat camera, stripped negatives, and created "camera ready" art for photolithography. This is how it was done before Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark... and before the internet.