CAD Manager's Newsletter (#179)
21 Aug, 2007 By: Robert GreenWhat are your colleagues dealing with, complaining about, and getting paid?
It’s that time of year again, when my annual CAD Manager Survey is unleashed to provide valuable data on what CAD managers are up to, their problems, and, of course, their compensation. The CAD Manager Survey dates back to fall 2000, allowing me to not only measure current trends but make conclusions based on trends over time. My hope is that I can deliver valuable information to you and become better informed about the market, thereby providing better newsletters and articles for the CAD management community.
In this issue of CAD Manager’s Newsletter, I want to share the survey topics I’m planning to measure this year and ask for your feedback regarding anything you think I’ve missed. So do yourself and the entire CAD management community a small favor, and read through the preview section below. Let me know your suggestions for making the survey better by emailing me at the link provided at the end of this preview. Here goes.
Compensation
We all want to know how much we should be making, so the primary focus of the survey always has been compensation. Measuring compensation includes a lot of factors though, so the palette of questions required to get a complete picture has grown to include the following:
- What is your total base pay in U.S. dollars?
- Are you salaried or hourly?
- If hourly, do you receive overtime pay?
- How many hours per week do you normally work?
- Do you receive profit sharing?
- Do you receive an annual bonus?
- Do you receive company-paid health insurance (United States only)?
These questions allow me to compute base compensation and draw workforce trends on methods of compensation and company-provided benefits to get a total compensation picture for everyone whether they are paid hourly or salaried. Read more>>
I’d like to motivate my CAD users to brush up on their skills by self-studying. What can I do to help the process along?
Robert Green replies: Ah, the age old question of how do you get people to WANT to learn and do so of their own volition! Great question for which there is no one answer. I do have a few ideas though.
Route interesting articles around. See something you think your users can benefit from reading? Send it around the office the old-fashioned way and let everybody look at it. Just stick a Post-it note with the list of people you’re routing to and ask each person to read and forward it to the next name on the list. This trick gets cool information around and sets up a little competitive peer pressure to learn among your users, which is motivational.Read more>>
Submit your questions to Robert Green atrgreen@greenconsulting.com.
Autodesk Updates Project Freewheel
Autodesk announced an update to Project Freewheel, a free Web service that enables users to share designs via a built-in messaging tool. Project Freewheel is available on Autodesk Labs, Autodesk's testbed for emerging technology. Using Project Freewheel, users can share 3D and 2D designs in real-time collaboration sessions. Read more
Send us the address of your favorite Web site or other resource and a few words about why you like it. If we publish it, we'll send you a Cadalyst t-shirt! E-maileditors@cadalyst.com.
ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences
September 4-7, 2007
Las Vegas, Nevada
Consisting of 13 conferences, the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE) provide an international forum where experts with various design backgrounds and experience can effectively showcase and share their newest ideas, research, methods, and tools with their peers. Read more
2007 ANSYS U.S. Regional Conference: Michigan
September 10-11, 2007
Dearborn, Michigan
The 2007 ANSYS U.S. Regional Conference Series: Michigan will provide an overview of the ANSYS technology roadmap, updates on new product features and product integrations, a management roundtable, customer presentations, workshops and demonstrations, and a full day of product training. The conference is intended for all ANSYS and FLUENT customers and prospective customers in all industries.
Read more
Click here to view the complete calendar of events at Cadalyst.com.
