yang686526

certified solidworks professional?
i know that there is a solidworks group but i would like to hear from someone out side of the solidworks world.
i just got my certified solidworks professional (cswp) in the last week because it is required by all machine engineers in my company. i had no problems taking the test but the question that i have is what good does it do for an engineer who has over 10 years using solidworks? and what good is it over all?
chris

"in this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics." homer simpson
i'm not an sw user so from my point of view...
all it means is you've presumably reached some level of competancy with a specific cad package, i'm not familiar with how good you have to be to pass.
it doesn't make me think you're necessarily a better engineer/designer/drafter.
so, if applying for a job where using solid works is a major element it's probably a pretty good thing.
if applying for a job where solid works use isn't a major factor, it means at best that you've taken the effort to do some further learning since graduating.
at worst, it makes me think you're a cad jockey/monkey not a real engineer (actually i probably wouldn't think this but some engineers are real snooty about cad work/design not being engineering).
kenat,
it means you passed a test, period. that being said, if i could only choose one person to interview out of a number of resumes i recieved, the cswp would help some. so would any other certifications if applicable to the job.
peter stockhausen
senior design analyst (checker)
infotech aerospace services
it shows that you are competent at using the application.
chris
solidworks/pdmworks 08 3.1
autocad 08; catia v5
if it's a job requirement, then that's the value. there are some in the sw community that put stock in the test. i personally don't. the test is both too limited in its scope and too detailed in what is does cover, in my opinion. it only covers modelling. it gets into specifics that many people never use, and doesn't cover a lot of stuff that is used commonly, but perhaps not every day.
in fact, i frequently provide how-to advice to individuals with a cswp (even those who passed the original "hard" test years ago).
matt lorono
cad engineer/ecn analyst
silicon valley, ca
thank you all for you comments. this is the same thing that i was thinking about the test.
chris
"in this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics." homer simpson