Refreshing a long
term CAD Manager
Those of us
that have been in the CAD Manager roll for many years sometimes
need to be refreshed and reminded about why we love this kind of
work. If you have been a CAD Manager for a while, then here are
some tips for you.
1. Stay
close to the new users and hot shots coming up through the
ranks. They are a great source of refreshing perspectives on
CAD and other subjects. They are typically younger and have
already embraced the newer technologies that will revive and
expand your CAD setup.
2. Keep
reading about technology. You may have stopped or slowed
down because you have so many years of experience and think that
you don't need to keep pounding on it.
In Thomas
Friedman's book, "The World is Flat " he states that one way
to keep your job in what he calls the "Flattened World" of
today and tomorrow you need to be a "Specialist" - focused
on one area and an expert in it. You can do this by
constantly honing your skills. Tech folks do this by coming
in contact with tech articles, journals, white papers, etc.
3. Get out
of the office. Take the time to go to vendor events, training
and other offsite functions. Just being face to face with
others in your area of specialization will empower you to get
going.
4. Expand
your world into new technologies and tools. Put some R&D
dollars into your budget and spend them on items that "might"
become a great tool. This is how many of the firms that were
early adopters of Revit and SketchUp got in the game.
5. Play
with Beta software.
6. Do some
drafting. Don't let your skill go soft. Doing some of the
day to day drafting functions will remind you why you got
involved with these tools and it will also help you identify the
non-productive parts of the software you can work on next.
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