5 replies to this topic

[jvl]

Living in the most isolated city (perth, western australia) in the world does not make it easy to do catia courses, so i contatced i company which is based in the eastern states who conduct classses.
They told me that the basic package would run over ten days and would cost me $400 dollars a day. This obviuosly doesnt travel and living expenses while im over there, so my question is it worth spending that amount of money to do the course.(if i am i would have to take out a student loan)

[Marco94]

The course as such would be worth it. But if it is worth $4000, only you can decide that. It's a **** load of money, and if you end up not using CATIA in the first 5 to 10 years it is wasted. If you are going to use it, it might be the tie-breaker at a job application. If you seriously intend to use CATIA, I guess you would have to search if there are other ways of obtaining this money. Legal ways I mean. ;-) Once again, it's you call. But if you already have a substantial loan, why not add a little.

Your best option would be a training paid by the boss. Via a summer job, internship, what heave you.

[Bluehair]

Don't even bother unless you also have a degree in engineering. I took several courses in CATIA, and here in the states, it didn't do **** for my career opportunities (and I lived in the so called "air-capital" - Wichita, KS). I have a degree in computer science, and fortunately that helped me find work in a far superior location - Overland Park (Kansas City area). Those Boeing jerkoffs paid over $15000 to send me to CATIA courses, only to try to hold me in the position of "mod mechanic" for the rest of my life. So long, Boeing!!

[imaginesix]

Don't do it unless you KNOW you will use your new skills in the very near future, (ie at your job).
Don't do it just to beef up your resume in the hopes of landing a job, unless prospective employers have been repeating to you that you need that particular course.

[GTF1]

$4000 for a 10 day course is ludicrous. For that much money you're half way toward getting a copy and license of a "smaller" package such as Solid Edge or Solid Works.

The advice others have given so far is spot on. I presume you're a student, so your best bet is to land a job where they use CATIA (even if you don't get to use it personally at first). Chances are they'll eventually give you some time to learn the software. Alternatively, you can ask to stay back after work to try and learn how to use it properly.

If you've had experience with other solid modelling packages, then learning CATIA shouldn't be hard at all. The principles are the same, it's only a matter of getting used to a different interface.

Scott

[AndyM]

Good point there Scott.

I have got Solid Edge on an education license and use Solid Works at Uni, and as Scotts says the principle behind all of these solid modelling packages are the same. I haven't had a go on CATIA but people who I have spoke to to have have told me that it is similar in usage and general format to many other programs, just a lot more powerful. I don't think it is worth it to pay as much as you have mentioned to go on a course, just get familar with a lower-end program, then you should be able to pick up others fairly easily...I would have thought...

Andy