newhorizon
New member
Hi everyone,
I'm an Industrial Designer and I am contemplating making a career change and taking a job as a Solidworks Designer. Let me start off by saying I want to be purposely vague with my situation since I’m still employed and considering another position right now. I will say that my current employer is generally considered a leader in our industry, but we are experiencing a sharp decline lately. I had envisioned myself staying within this particular industry and modeling my career around it. Now I’m not so sure. I’m doing product design work right now, but I’ve been looking into a primarily Solidworks driven job. The job description is actually calling for a Mechanical Engineering degree, but they are apparently still interested in talking to me although my background is a BFA in Industrial Design. I’m expecting to conduct a phone interview with them soon.
What I’m wondering is:
What is the relative pay scale range for a Solidworks Designer? Any particular idea of what most people with 3-4 yrs experience would make?
How is the stability of the market for that type of job position?
Is there a strong network of temp agency or contract firms who staff CAD Designers?
I’m looking at this as a step down in my mind from doing ID work, but in all likelihood, if I were to be laid off (which is still possible at my present company), I would be doing more 3D modeling software training and focusing on finding employment in that market. It’s the most logical use of my education if things went sour for me. I’m not sure how I’d feel about taking that leap initially, but I’d feel better about it if the market for employment as a Solidworks or Pro-E Designer has better stability then ID right now. Thanks.
I'm an Industrial Designer and I am contemplating making a career change and taking a job as a Solidworks Designer. Let me start off by saying I want to be purposely vague with my situation since I’m still employed and considering another position right now. I will say that my current employer is generally considered a leader in our industry, but we are experiencing a sharp decline lately. I had envisioned myself staying within this particular industry and modeling my career around it. Now I’m not so sure. I’m doing product design work right now, but I’ve been looking into a primarily Solidworks driven job. The job description is actually calling for a Mechanical Engineering degree, but they are apparently still interested in talking to me although my background is a BFA in Industrial Design. I’m expecting to conduct a phone interview with them soon.
What I’m wondering is:
What is the relative pay scale range for a Solidworks Designer? Any particular idea of what most people with 3-4 yrs experience would make?
How is the stability of the market for that type of job position?
Is there a strong network of temp agency or contract firms who staff CAD Designers?
I’m looking at this as a step down in my mind from doing ID work, but in all likelihood, if I were to be laid off (which is still possible at my present company), I would be doing more 3D modeling software training and focusing on finding employment in that market. It’s the most logical use of my education if things went sour for me. I’m not sure how I’d feel about taking that leap initially, but I’d feel better about it if the market for employment as a Solidworks or Pro-E Designer has better stability then ID right now. Thanks.