The most valuable thing you have as a CAD draftsmen is your resources. A resource by definition means a supply that can be drawn on when needed. To the CAD draftsmen resources can mean many things, and gaining an understanding of what is available to you is key to your success. There are two types of resources that you need to be aware of. The first would be those that are already created, and can be used immediately. The second are those that you create yourself based on information that you encounter along your own path of learning. One of the biggest upsides to the information age is that of readily available knowledge if you are willing to take the time and effort not only to seek it out, but just as importantly to organize it into an information set that you can readily access to support the needs of the work that you perform. This can be done in several different ways. There are many easy to use software platforms available just for this purpose. Some at no cost available on the internet, and those that you can purchase. An example of a free program that will help you to organize material as you collect it is Evernote. This is available in a free version, as well as an upgraded version at a cost. The free version is very easy to use and serves the purpose just fine. In the program you can create notebooks for different subjects, and inside of notebooks you can create individual notes on different topics. It is very easy to clip materiel from the web into your notebooks, as well as store web links, and you can create an endless amount of notes to capture your thoughts and ideas. As well you can capture images with a sniping tool and paste them into your notes. When I take notes with pencil and paper ( yes these are still useful tools!) I scan them, and add them to my notebooks. There are also additional apps available that help you to collect, and store information such as clipping your photos to Evernote ( I am not affiliated with this program, it just happens to be a good example of these types of programs). The One Note program that comes with the Microsoft Office sweet works in much the same way, but is a more full featured platform allowing much more flexibility in the ways you can organize your information. The nice thing about both of these platforms is that they sync to you mobile phone allowing you access to your material at any time, as ell as the ability to add content to your notebooks right from your phone.
Other means for organizing your information
Microsoft Word is a good tool for storing information. You can copy text and images, and paste them into your Word documents to create your resource pages. Something that works well is to print them as a PDF, and then combine like documents into one PDF file. A nice advantage to doing this is that you may then easily view it on your mobile phone.
Do not overlook the importance of taking notes whenever presented with critical information. A true seeker of knowledge is never without a pencil and paper. Weather in a class, or on the job, when you are presented with new information you accomplish two things by writing it down. The first is that you are capturing the new information for use at a later date as needed; you are creating a resource. The second, and this has been proven many ways over, is that when you write something down it is reinforced, and therefore more deeply committed to memory expanding your most valuable resource; your mind. Hand written material can be stored in physical notebooks, or transferred to electronic storage either manually (re writing will help further organize the information, and again reinforce the material), or by scanning it and adding it to an electronic notebook.
An often overlooked resource is the online help files that are In the software programs themselves. The help files in the AutoCAD software are an education that is one click away. Becoming familiar with looking things up this way will greatly enhance your ability to answer your own questions, and lead to becoming more self reliant.
Ultimately the best approach is a combination of all of these methods of information gathering, and organization. The important thing is to find what works for you, and make this a part of your work strategy. The more you do it the better you will become at it and this will lead to noticeable benefits in the efficiency of your day to day work.
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Jeffrey Lupp-
Founder/Educator at CAD LAB