We're super fortunate to be located literally minutes away from Oklahoma State University. All three of us who are in the office went to or are going to OSU, and we probably say "Go Pokes!" in our sleep. OSU has a great engineering school that provides a free SOLIDWORKS license to their students. We're not the only ones though, there are a lot of colleges that have educational SOLIDWORKS licenses available for engineering students.
This means you can learn SOLIDWORKS ahead of the curve. Even if your professors don't go into great detail, you can take learning into your own hands. Watch the YouTube videos we have, read our blog, you can even send Tim or Hunter an email to ask questions and they'll be happy to help!
SOLIDWORKS is a must, but with so much technical information to learn while you're in school, it can easily get overlooked and then, before you know it, you're applying for jobs with a surface-level understanding, when "proficient" would look much better on your resume. Take the additional time to teach yourself the skills that make you marketable while you're in school, it will pay off! SOLIDWORKS also has an educational blog on their website that has tons of great resources for students who are learning the ins and outs of the most used software in the industry. There are free webinars as well, where you can ask questions and get live responses while learning more tips and tricks.
All of these resources are at your fingertips, there's no reason not to utilize them. It's like the free printing, fitness center, and pizza. Use it! We know college students have limited free time, and the free time they do have is very precious to them. However, a SOLIDWORKS certification is in high demand. When you sit down in an interview, you have to be prepared to set yourself apart from other candidates.
All of us at EquivaQ wish you the best of luck with the upcoming school year, and we know it's full of challenges whether you're going in person, remotely, or any other combination of learning situations. We're cheering you on every step of the way and we can't wait to see what you accomplish!