Work on Your Personal Advancement
The theme in the January 2016 issue is on advancement and as I complete this article, I am flying back from Autodesk University (AU) in Las Vegas. Although I had to leave early to attend a wedding, I was able to see a lot of new faces (vendors and end users) out to accomplish their own vision of advancement. The people attending AU are all working to advance something, whether it be to advance their knowledge, careers, sales, or networking.
End users are constantly looking for advancements in the hardware used to create their designs. They want more processor speed, memory capacity, and drive storage size and speed. These same users also look to software vendors for advancements in their design applications and utilities with the hopes of being more productive.
Many of the vendors exhibiting at AU were showing off their new software and hardware. The numerous products being promoted are new or improved versions of previous releases that have gone through product "advancements."
While helping out at the AUGI booth, I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of the attendees about their experience this year. It is always amazing and intriguing to meet so many attendees who have been to every AU since the beginning in Atlanta. I spoke with many others who had been between 6 and 12 times—many paying for the trips themselves, These are some dedicated folks!
From the looks of the turnout at this year’s AU, there were probably between 9,000 and 10,000 attendees, and although that's a big number, there are 10s of thousands of users who were unaware, unable, or even uninterested in attending this incredible event.
So what can you and these other users do to advance your education, career, and networking?
In some of the classes I was able to attend it was interesting to see the presentations about how to become more productive and efficient by using the powerful tools available in AutoCAD®. Ironically many of the commands highlighted were not new, but have been around for seven or eight years. Even more interesting is that many of the attendees admitted that they don't utilize them and many didn't even know they existed.
In order to advance their knowledge and career opportunities, users need to do more than just get faster hardware and newer versions of software. They need to learn as much as possible about the software they already have and use daily. Then learn how to incorporate the new commands and improvements that come with their updated software into their existing processes. Getting an updated version of AutoCAD each year, but not learning the new features and tools that come with it is counterintuitive. There is typically a lot more to a software update than a new color option for your interface.
Although not everyone can attend AU every year, the majority of the content is available through live and recorded streams and class document downloads. In the AUGI forums, for example, users can get the documentation for many of the previous year’s classes. Look for classes on tips and tricks and how to maximize your efficiency, and then dig deeper by downloading and going through the classes that focus on specific commands or topics such as AutoLISP, xrefs, paper space, sheet sets, etc. You may not benefit from every topic, but if you don't understand them or even know they exist, how will you ever find out?
New releases typically have a few outstanding items that are covered in the marketing documents, but I recommend that you do some digging online. Google "new features AutoCAD version ####" and check out blog posts and product review sites for additional new features, commands, and system variables that may not have been highlighted. I personally keep a spreadsheet of new features by version since the 2004 release. Sometimes you will find some gems that solve issues you have been dealing with for years.
Subscribe to blogs and participate in the AUGI forums. (Not a member? Sign up—basic membership is free. <https://www.augi.com/account/register/default_site>). Not only are the Forums a great resource for solving issues, but you may be able to grow your network of like-minded fellow product users.
Read, read, and read some more. Not a reader? Google the topics that you are curious about and look for videos that can advance your understanding.
Whether you subscribe to blogs, read the AUGI periodicals, or watch videos, be sure to put what you have learned to work and practice, practice, practice. As your knowledge increases, so too will your confidence. Mastering one command or feature will often invigorate you to learn even more.
In an ever-changing world of hardware and software advancements and the increasing competitive workplace, make sure that in 2016 “personal advancement” is high on your priority list.
