This is more a post to blow of steam than it is to talk about CAD but I'd appreciate any advice you fellow CAD users might have. As a CAD man I feel isolated and unsure about how to pursue my future.
To start of I'll introduce myself: I'm a 22 year old male from the UK.At the age of 15 and still at school I was offered, along with some others, the chance to do a two year out of school, night-time, GCSE course in Engineering. I took the offer and loved it. Following that I was inspired to do a National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, then a Higher National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and Finally a Bachelors Degree in Computer Aided Engineering. CAD was always the subject I enjoyed the most; I found it both rational and technical whilst still, at the same time, requiring a slight bit of creative, artistic flair so that is why I chose CAD as my career path. During my time at College and University I worked for four years part time doing building layouts on AutoCAD, building up my experience and CV credentials.
Following University with the Economy really bad I was desperate to take any job I could. One came up and I took it at £6/hour. How priorities change because now a year later I feel undervalued, underpaid and I'm starting to question my worth; the worth of CAD technicians as a whole.
My job is split three ways; between SolidWorks rendering 3D bespoke images, on AutoCAD drawing the 'standard' products we sell in room layouts and thirdly writing computer codes for the quoting software the company uses. I enjoy the job I do, and - most - of the people there I really love (it's always affection for people that keep me feeling 'trapped' in a job) the company boss is a right t**t though; very tight with money and constantly shouting at people.
I'm just after perspectives on my situation. Are CAD technicians disposable these days? A dime a dozen? Is 6 pound an hour an average, poor, a very poor rate for a 22 year old CAD technician; with my selling point being SolidWorks Experience? Pre tax my yearly salary would be £12480 and I don't want to sound ungrateful but I feel I should be earning more, or maybe I shouldn't I just can't call it. I certainly don't know how much more. All the jobs advertised for CAD offer much larger salary's yet I don't know how much of that holds true in reality. I have graphic design friends and from what I can learn form them a guys actual ability - as shown in a portfolio - holds much more merits than qualifications or past experience. I don't know if the same is true for CAD; the good CAD guys are high paid the bad are poorly paid and their is a huge gulf of pay difference between the two. Sounds obvious but I just wouldn't have expected there to be the same difference from CAD to CAD guy as there would be from Graphic Design to Graphic Design guy that;s also.
Anyway, it's nice to be here. Nice to see some fellow CAD users and I'd appreciate and value any advice you guys might have. Thanks
To start of I'll introduce myself: I'm a 22 year old male from the UK.At the age of 15 and still at school I was offered, along with some others, the chance to do a two year out of school, night-time, GCSE course in Engineering. I took the offer and loved it. Following that I was inspired to do a National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, then a Higher National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and Finally a Bachelors Degree in Computer Aided Engineering. CAD was always the subject I enjoyed the most; I found it both rational and technical whilst still, at the same time, requiring a slight bit of creative, artistic flair so that is why I chose CAD as my career path. During my time at College and University I worked for four years part time doing building layouts on AutoCAD, building up my experience and CV credentials.
Following University with the Economy really bad I was desperate to take any job I could. One came up and I took it at £6/hour. How priorities change because now a year later I feel undervalued, underpaid and I'm starting to question my worth; the worth of CAD technicians as a whole.
My job is split three ways; between SolidWorks rendering 3D bespoke images, on AutoCAD drawing the 'standard' products we sell in room layouts and thirdly writing computer codes for the quoting software the company uses. I enjoy the job I do, and - most - of the people there I really love (it's always affection for people that keep me feeling 'trapped' in a job) the company boss is a right t**t though; very tight with money and constantly shouting at people.
I'm just after perspectives on my situation. Are CAD technicians disposable these days? A dime a dozen? Is 6 pound an hour an average, poor, a very poor rate for a 22 year old CAD technician; with my selling point being SolidWorks Experience? Pre tax my yearly salary would be £12480 and I don't want to sound ungrateful but I feel I should be earning more, or maybe I shouldn't I just can't call it. I certainly don't know how much more. All the jobs advertised for CAD offer much larger salary's yet I don't know how much of that holds true in reality. I have graphic design friends and from what I can learn form them a guys actual ability - as shown in a portfolio - holds much more merits than qualifications or past experience. I don't know if the same is true for CAD; the good CAD guys are high paid the bad are poorly paid and their is a huge gulf of pay difference between the two. Sounds obvious but I just wouldn't have expected there to be the same difference from CAD to CAD guy as there would be from Graphic Design to Graphic Design guy that;s also.
Anyway, it's nice to be here. Nice to see some fellow CAD users and I'd appreciate and value any advice you guys might have. Thanks