Solidworks Training / Certification

[lardlad00]

Hi everybody,

I'm currently looking into the Solidworks CSWP certification, and I'm looking for a good way to prepare for it. I've been hoping to purchase a set of the training manuals as used in the training courses provided by resellers, but I haven't had any luck in convincing anybody to sell to me. Those who are willing to sell them aren't willing to sell to me because the company I work for uses a different reseller (who just won't sell to me). Rather than explaining the whole situation, I thought I'd post an e-mail that I send to a Solidworks rep. Have a look:

=============================================
Hi,

Thanks for the info and for getting back to me about the training manuals. Perhaps you can answer some other questions for me.

I’m just about to finish a degree in mechanical engineering, and I’m interested in the CSWP certification. I’ve used Solidworks quite a bit both in school and on an internship, and I would like to pursue a career in design with Solidworks. However, I know that I would not be prepared if I were to take the exam now. I have looked into the Solidworks training courses that are offered, but I am not able to make the sort of financial commitment that would be required to use the courses to prepare, and further, I feel that they are a bit more extensive than what I need. So, that’s why I was hoping to obtain the manuals and use them as a guide for learning more of the terminology and lesser-used features. I figured that they would be ideal in that the language and methods used would be tuned perfectly for the exam.

If this is not possible, I’m wondering if there’s anything else that you can recommend for my purposes. I’ve looked into some different books that are out there (Inside Solidworks, Engineering Design with Solidworks, Solidworks for Designers), but I really want something that gets into more of the advanced topics and would help me feel a bit more prepared for the exam. Is there anything you would recommend?

Thanks very much
=============================================

Anybody have any suggestions for me, either on how to obtain the manuals or on what other literature is out there?

Thanks much.

 

[Heckler]

I was told to work all the examples in the training manuals.

http://www.solidworks.com/pages/services/Training/training.html

Best Regards,

Heckler
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SW2007 SP 2.0 & Pro/E 2001
Dell Precision 370
P4 3.6 GHz, 1GB RAM
XP Pro SP2.0
NVIDIA Quadro FX 1400
o
_`\(,_
(_)/ (_)

Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring you down to their level and beat you with experience every time.

 

[ctopher]

thread559-161968
thread559-157145

Chris
SolidWorks 06 5.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 10-27-06)

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

From what I've seen, the i.get.it training modules are very good. They have one especially geared for the CSWP preparation.

They also have a skills assessment;

http://www.cati.com/igetit_skills_gap_analysis.htm

 

[Takami826]

ebay?
amazon.com?

I used i.get.it for the 2006-2007 upgrade to try it out and it looks to be a pretty good program.

 

[JMirisola]

I used the i.get.it training when I was preparing for the exam and found it to be pretty useful, though somewhat cumbersome. Coincidentally, I just posted a review of i.get.it on my blog a week ago.(<--shameless plug)

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP2.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog

 

[lardlad00]

Thanks everybody for your advice.

I have been watching on eBay for the manuals, but I've found that even the 2006 editions are rather rare, and I have yet to see any 2007 (leading me to wonder whether or not they're being used yet?).

I did get a VAR to tell me that a "set" of the books (I don't know exactly which books that would include) would cost about $500. The standard Solidworks package on i.get.it is $700. After checking it out and hearing what you all have to say about it, that seems like it would be a pretty good buy. So then I just have to decide whether $700 + $400 to take the exam is a good investment for someone like myself. I've already got plenty of debt coming from school, but I'm thinking that having a CSWP would give me a nice advantage as I look for some entry-level positions.

But, I have a hard time feeling confident about it, as my experience is pretty limited. So, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Thanks again.

 

[JMirisola]

The exam isn't easy, and you need to be familiar with the latest version of SW. You can check out the practice exam here. While it's older, it'll give you an idea of what to expect...at least sort of. Actually, if you go here, they have the practice exam, a planning sheet and a test outline.
It helps to know a little about most every facet of SW and to be proficient in one "advanced" area.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP2.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog

 

[RawheadRex]

I highly recommend i.get.it for the exam prep. I used it for when I took the test earlier this year and it definitely got me ready. Being that I work for a VAR I had to score higher (90 or better) and do 2 of the advanced modeling challenges. In the end I just about aced the test and can honestly say that the i.get.it prep helped me out big time in that regard.

One other thing that you might want to keep in mind is that VARs will often do like a "boot camp" to get people ready for the exam. People who attend that when it's offered generally find it helpful based on what I've heard.

Good luck!



Chris Gervais
Application Engineer
CSWP, CSWST

 

[lardlad00]

Thanks again for the advice. I'm pretty sure that i.get.it is how I'd like to do it.

I just still don't know if I should pull the trigger.

What do you think of the value of CSWP for someone like myself -- looking for his first professional job in design? Is it worth the $1100 or so for training and testing to have it on my resume (not to mention the skills gained in the process)?

Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

[JMirisola]

For me, the certification is what got me my present job, along with experience. I am not a degreed engineer. I have my certification and 10 years of experience. Sure, I'm behind many of my peers (age/experience-wise), but I'm a lot farther along than I would have been without the certification. Will all employers look favorably upon the cert? Probably not, but they should at least recognize that you're more than capable of handling the software. The rest would be up to you.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP2.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog

 

[lardlad00]

Well I bit the bullet tonight and bought the subscription to i.get.it. I'm looking forward to getting some time to sit and work with it for a while -- hopefully tomorrow night.

Thanks again for all the advice everybody.

 

[grunt58]

Let us/me know what you thought of i.get.it and the whole getting certified process. Is it worth the money? I'm considering doing it eventually.

Grant
Applications Engineer
SW2006 SP 4.0
IBM InteliStation Pro M
P4 3.4 GHz, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2.0
NIVIDA Quadro FX 3000