is it the enginner degree necessery for becoming a freelancer cad designer

hi , i wanna be a cad designer , i'm studying now automotive mechanics at such professions school and i'm learning catia at home , a lot told me that it is imposible to work as cad designer without an enginner diploma ,is that true ,? thanks so much

Accepted answer

As one that’s had a long career as an “engineer” without a degree I can tell you it’s possible. I’ve worked as an “engineer” for corporations and I’ve done freelance design work on the side. What I have not done, and what I would caution you not to do no matter where you reside, is to call yourself an engineer or do engineering work on your own as a freelancer without a degree. To go one step further, in the US, to call yourself an engineer doing freelance work and not be a licensed professional engineer (P.E.) is essentially against the law. A non-degreed engineer working under the umbrella of, and totally within the jurisdiction of, a corporation is another matter. In a way there isn’t much difference between a non-degreed and a degreed engineer as far as what they can advertise about their skills. One certainly has more training but neither can call themselves a engineer doing freelance work without a P.E. license.

To get back to your question specifically. It is going to be difficult to get a job these days as a designer without a degree. It will be nearly impossible for anybody to take you seriously as a freelance designer without either a degree or work experience as a designer. If you’re developing your own products you might stand a chance. But starting off without something to back you up, nobody is going to pay you for freelance work. Get in on the ground floor doing CAD work for somebody and work your way up. Learn everything you can before you venture out on your own. You will probably be surprised how much you don’t know right now. I’m sure you're smart but there’s a lot you can learn by working with others that are already doing what you want to do.


1 Other answer

I'd start by spelling enginner engineer...