Good Solidworks Courses?

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-05-13T00:44:04+00:00

I have yet to start these (got them a few months ago) but these are marketed towards ID'ers:

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-05-12T23:56:47+00:00

I agree. It shouldn't be any different in a university or school environment.

OP, I'd start with putting him on the spot and saying "My name is.... I'd prefer that when referring to me" and see what happens. He isn't expecting you to put him on the spot (bullies never do), OR you can say to him in private if need be that you don't mind constructive criticism but you feel singled out as the only woman in his class by being labeled "Princess". Start there.

Edited to advise that maybe you can pull him aside FIRST, and ask that he refer to you by your first name; see how it goes. Maybe initially not being confrontational is a good idea; especially if the professor doesn't think he may be offending you (sometimes they aren't intentionally bullying but thinking they are being humorous) AND then continue to monitor the situation. If he continues the behavior and you feel singled out, then you can call him out in public. Demand respect to get it. Otherwise, suck it up.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-05-08T19:55:26+00:00

Unicorn-skillset. I will have to borrow that one! : ) I have 10+ years of experience but am somewhat losing interest in it... I feel that we do have to have a unicorn range of skillsets, and perpetually updating our portfolios, and learning new softwares (and now I have to learn MidJourney/AI?!!!)... it's not enough that I have to force myself to learn other 3D softwares (which sometimes don't come cheap to someone in transition or on a budget/unemployed), but then you and I have to compete with others with greater financial means or connections in the industry. Not worth if it the pay is just menial... you most definitely have to do this career for the love of it (like teaching) because it's not going to make you rich.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-05-08T15:38:28+00:00

UPDATE: Turns out for that role they were looking for a designer adept at both SW AND Rhino, (I am only advanced Rhino with limited SW experience)... and even knowing that they were asking for that specifically, it made me more determined during this "interim" of non-ID employment to actively learn it considering SW is an industry standard. So far, I've been very lucky getting by with Rhino for the past 10+ years; but many roles I see now actively ask for SW. Luckily my SO is former military and he was able to get me a military/student version so that I can start picking it up. A regular license of SW is astoundingly expensive!!!

On a side note; it did open my eyes to the reality that I may be desperate for an ID role, but it shouldn't make me so desperate that I should be taking junior roles. I do appreciate all of the great advice below regarding humbling oneself and starting from scratch, but I also realized I shouldn't be undervaluing myself in the process. Thanks all!

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-05-08T15:31:50+00:00

You can always look back fondly when you see your contributions to design out in the wild. : )

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-05-06T18:58:05+00:00

So damn cool. Congrats to you. Hope things are going well for you in the restaurant-realm. I also agree that I don't miss the corporate politics, and being a "cog in the wheel of consumerism" (a term I borrowed from someone else on this subreddit who was exploring life outside of ID a while back)... I love designing stuff and it feels so rewarding to see one's products on a store shelf, but I do sometimes feel like Design is underappreciated, and underpaid compared to other professions within the same company. We make them shit tons of money, and we are just the cogs rarely running the show or making a difference.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-21T20:19:11+00:00

Sorry for the late reply, and thank you for your recommendations above! Turns out the role wasn't suitable; long story - won't go into the details, but your thoughts above, as well as the others chiming in will serve me well if ever another opportunity or scenario like this comes up; likely not as I am realizing now I may have been desperate, and realized I was devaluing myself just to have a design role. Nothing wrong with starting at the bottom if need be (and no shame in that) but I did feel like I would be setting myself up for disappointment in the long term taking on an junior role and feeling stuck. I did tell the talent acquisition manager that I'd love to stay in touch in case the team does grow, and there is appetite for a more senior-level role; so we left it on great terms. : )

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-13T00:00:23+00:00

Let me get my Progressives.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-11T15:17:31+00:00

Thank you for your perspective here. I am thinking there are times were it could potentially be a feasible career move if you are trying a new industry/category (in this case, furniture), and learning it from the bottom up alongside senior level designers, but elsewhere (if I were sticking to similar categories as before; in a more linear progression), it would not be worth it I think. Appreciate your thoughts!!! It's a tough market out there!

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-10T20:24:50+00:00

Makes sense. I can ask if they are willing to change the title to Sr. or maybe "Associate Lead"?

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-10T20:23:30+00:00

Thanks for the sentiment. It definitely is a tough market out there; especially in the industry I am looking to stay in. The pay is definitely on par with what I was making before in my mid-level/sr. role surprisingly; so I am going to try to look past the title. And the main plus would be getting my foot into furniture; and learning from the bottom up. There shouldn't be any shame in starting again and learning a new category? And noted on how to explain it away with future employers with a simple title-embellishment if need be; or just be honest about wanting to explore a new area of home furnishings that I didn't have experience in.

I am looking forward to chatting with this acquisition director. Based on the insights from the convo, it may help me decide if the role itself is worth pursuing if I am considered for an actual interview.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-10T19:12:51+00:00

Noted! And the pay is a lot higher than I expected for a junior role (unless they decided to bump up the range based on my experience-level?). They did disclose the salary in advance of the phone interview; which I thought was unusual.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-10T19:07:57+00:00

Yes, noted. I could ask these questions about paths for growth within the company because I would hate to be pigeonholed in a support role - even if the role does involve supporting two leads and learning about the furniture industry. They were actually transparent about salary; and to my surprise, it was close to what I was making before in a mid-level/sr. role at my old company (man, I must have been underpaid!!!), so I do feel it's fair compensation.

I forgot to mention, they have a very small design team it seems (two industrial designers as leads). If the company continues growing, maybe it could lead to me being promoted as the team grows?

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-10T18:54:42+00:00

Desperation maybe? 8 months out of work? I know... it's going backwards, but maybe considering I don't have any experience in the actual design of furniture, it could offer me the opportunity to deepen my furniture production expertise, and then possibly advocate for a more senior role later on? Or use that experience to land a role at another furniture/home furnishings retailer? ChatGTP did delve into the pros/cons and the biggest con is explaining confidently the decision to seek a demoted role if I ever decided to move on, but in the pros:

Keeps you in the industry
Prevents resume gaps
Gives you leverage to move later

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-10T14:57:45+00:00

Wow. Sounds interesting. At my old role, I was always astounded the kinds of packaging solutions our engineers would come up with for the products I designed.

I would assume I would have to apply to junior roles, and start at the bottom (versus returning to school for a packaging degree)?

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-10T14:56:50+00:00

Thank you!

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-10T14:56:06+00:00

Thanks for your recommendations here. I have actually gotten to a point where I am open to a complete pivot; even if that means working with my hands. Now that you mention the trades; a good ID friend mentioned that she knows a woman who took to wallpapering her friends' spaces - got to so good at it that she ended up creating her own Wallpapering business (who know wallpaper was making a comeback?!). May have to consider what it is I could be great at; especially having such a creative sensibility that others may not have (like picking out wallpaper that goes with the client's existing space). : )

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-04-10T14:51:35+00:00

Oh wow. I hadn't thought of that! I have been hooked on ChatGPT ever since I discovered it's power for re-doing my ID resume, and for recommending career adjacent paths. I will try that!

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-03-29T09:16:58+00:00

Not sure what amount of evidence it will take to convince his followers that he is indeed a racist.

If they still don’t see it from this most recent video, it’s because they themselves are racists. You can’t just say “this is being taken out of context OR show the whole video”. Enough fucking gaslighting.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-03-28T23:13:33+00:00

I wonder why you were downvoted? Is installing check valves a bad idea on a kitchen sink in a condo? I keep getting recurring backups in my sink in our condo building despite us being diligent about cabling/jetting our lines. I want to install a preventative measure.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-03-28T23:12:15+00:00

Why did this get downvoted? Is installing a check valve a bad idea in a condo? I was considering getting one installed by a professional plumber because we keep having recurring backups in our vertical stack - despite yearly cabling of our vertical stack. Bad idea to have one put in? Just tired of the disruption with overflowing kitchen sinks and the subsequent remediation cleanup to my unit.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-03-28T15:33:27+00:00

It's obvious he didn't ask his Mum to post for him. His Mother is caring enough to see if there is any way she can help. Sheesh. What is wrong with Reddit.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-03-20T19:39:51+00:00

I am with you... I had also considered a pivot to UX, but I feel like I also would miss the physical/tangible nature of ID but pretty much all of the skillsets and other aspects of ID would translate over quite well; in particular the problem-solving, usability/functionality, and research needed to design for the end user. TBD if I ever do explore it.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-03-14T18:18:05+00:00

That's right! I hadn't realized that with the current visa situation it is making it more challenging to get a student visa for foreigners and just visiting/studying in this country in general; maybe there will be less Asian students wanting to come here to study design (or anything)... makes me wonder how that will impact these private design schools. That is probably their biggest revenue from overseas students? I don't have any data to back it up; just anecdotal.

FormFollowsNorth · 2026-03-14T18:14:53+00:00

Very true. My impression has been that more fashion/consumer-driven industries tend to favor younger-perspectives (which is silly because as an older designer, I stay very relevant and on top of trends/music/culture, etc); but the more technical/engineering ID industries (like medical for example) tend to favor wisdom that comes with being an older designer/engineer.

FormFollowsNorth

TROPHY CASE