Learning to use CAD is like any other skill.  It will help, but it’s not the whole package.  You need to draw on your background, or pick complementary skills to learn as well.  With CAD these days, there is a lot of competition as even high school kids learn it now.

What I mean is that if you ‘only’ have CAD as a skill, it will be tougher finding employment than if you have, for example, welding experience,  a construction background or some other trade to give supporting knowledge of what you will be drawing.

I got started with a 2 year course in Mechanical Design with a CAD/CAM option.  I did this when I was 35 years old and wasn’t used to the heavy load of studying.  I learned a lot about calculating stress in a design, what materials to use (and a lot more) – as well as drawing and programing in AutoCAD and Microstation.  It was a tough 2 years, but those of us that survived had no problem finding jobs.

But even for those with a limited skill set, there are openings.  There are possibilities.  And having a knowledge of CAD will increase those opportunities.  There are entry level CAD positions that can get you in the door of some good companies.  I worked with people in the surveying business who didn’t need to know what they were drafting, as long as they could measure and draw it accurately.  With more experience on the job, they got faster and more knowledgeable.  And that is the key: “Never stop learning”.

If you have the time and the ambition to learn, and you’re leaning in the “CAD” direction, go for it.  The best part is that you can learn a good amount for free.  You can download a demo version of the Program, then use my tutorials to learn how to use it.  That will also give you a good idea if you even like working with it.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Beginners. Both comments and pings are currently closed.