I received e-mails asking how users or potential users can teach themselves to use AutoCAD or one of Autodesk's verticals. Well, I was reminded today by Shaan Hurley's post about the Autodesk Student Community.
If you are a student (meaning you have a student e-mail address from your school) you can sign up to be a member of Autodesk's Student Community. I have been a student for a few years now (I'm working on an Associates Degree in Design Drafting) and a member of the student community almost as long.
There are many benefits to being a member of this group. One is the free software. Yes I said FREE!!! There are a few catches of course. One is that there is a 13 month time limit. Users will receive a special student license number. If it isn't imputed, then it becomes a regular 30 day trial version.
The other "catch" is that the software becomes a "Student Version." That means that each file made will have a watermark inserted on it every time it is printed. This isn't an issue for users that are, well, students. That keeps users from using free software for production purposes.
One other thing to keep in mind is that all objects saved in a student version will be "tagged" as being made in a student version. If you insert any student version object into a file with a "regular" version of AutoCAD, that file will be tagged as being made by a student version. It could corrupt your production files so be careful not to mix them up.
Benefits. There are several. Users get to actually use the software they are going to be using as professionals. It provides a chance to have real experience and thus require less training time once employed. The Community Web Site has tons of tutorials which are very easy to use and follow. There are also tips, newsletters, and forums where students can ask and answer questions. It is also a place where users can network with other student users.
So, if you are a student, check out Autodesk's Student Community. It's a great place to try out software and learn it.
