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CAD Designer
As a CAD Designer, you work closely with a product development team from the initial product concept all the way through to the start of production. It’s creative work that brings together the latest technology, your imagination and talent for expressing ideas visually, and your ability to understand the technical aspects of how products function.
CAD designers usually specialize in one area or industry, such as automobiles, appliances, equipment, furniture, or housewares. But no matter what industry you’re in, the design process is basically the same. It begins with determining the product requirements and gathering information to understand client and consumer needs in terms of style, function, cost, quality, and safety. Based on that research, you prepare preliminary concepts or diagrams that reflect the desired characteristics like size, shape, weight, materials, and cost. Then, you develop more detailed designs and prototypes using CAD tools, continuing to fine-tune the design through presentations, testing, and the feedback and input you receive from clients, managers, team members, and other specialists.
At Baker College, you’ll study with industry professionals and learn how to apply your creative talents and problem-solving skills to product design along with important business essentials. Your curriculum also includes hands-on training through an internship or cooperative education experience, so you’ll be ready for a position on the day you graduate.
Career Facts
- The average annual wage for Commercial and Industrial Designers is $61,400.
- With increasing demand for new or upgraded products, employment in this field is expected to grow 9 percent between 2008 and 2018, about as fast as the average.
- Because tastes and styles can change quickly, CAD Designers need to be well-read, open to new ideas and influences, and quick to react to changing trends.
- CAD Designers may work for manufacturers, large corporations, design firms, or may be employed under a contract to do specific tasks or designs. Those who work in larger organizations usually have standard hours. Those in smaller firms or under contract often adjust their workday to meet client schedules and deadlines.
- Experienced designers in large firms may advance to chief designer or another management position. Others open their own design firms, consult privately, or leave the business world to become teachers.
Programs
Want to get the ball rolling?
Everything about our college is aimed at getting you the job you want in the shortest time possible — from our affordable tuition, to how we choose our programs, to our small class sizes, and flexible class schedules.
Discover what Baker can do for your future. Schedule a visit or enroll online today.
