AutoCAD Certificates San Diego, CA

While the history of CAD, or computer-aided design, dates back to the 1950s, AutoCAD was the first software application to bring the power of CAD to the personal computers of offices worldwide. Since its debut in 1982, AutoCAD has been the go-to CAD software in the drafting industry. Today, it's an essential application for drafters and designers working across sectors, from architecture and product design to landscaping and civil engineering.

AutoCAD remains the most popular 2D and 3D computer-aided design application, but it's by no means the only CAD software in use today. SketchUp, SolidWorks, and Solid Edge are just a few competitors you’ll see in the market today. However, Autodesk continues to provide quality annual updates for AutoCAD, ensuring the program’s continued popularity, especially in the architectural field.

Why Become Certified in AutoCAD?

AutoCAD is a powerful tool known as the standard in computer-aided design software for both 2D and 3D drafting and design across industries. Becoming proficient in the software by attending an AutoCAD certificate program will earn you the skills you need to perform as a Drafter or Designer, whether you dream of working in the architectural, civil, manufacturing, interior design, or landscaping industry.

The certificate you earn by graduating from an AutoCAD certificate program can be linked to your LinkedIn profile and listed on your résumé. An AutoCAD certificate or certification is a qualification that hiring managers look for when hiring designers and drafters, as these verify your skills with the application as well as your dedication to your professional development. Often, mid-career professionals may find that turning their preexisting AutoCAD expertise into an AutoCAD certification can expand their career horizons, opening doors to promotions and higher wages.

What You’ll Learn While Becoming AutoCAD Certified

An AutoCAD certificate program will teach you the essential tools and techniques needed to use computer-aided design software in your future career. A few things you’ll master as an AutoCAD student include using drawing and editing commands, managing layers, working with blocks, annotating and dimensioning, and creating data tables.

Drawing and Editing Commands

After a solid introduction to the application’s interface, AutoCAD certificate programs will focus on teaching its powerful drawing and editing commands. AutoCAD offers an extensive menu of commands that allow designers and drafters to bring their visions to life with precision. Throughout the drawing and editing process, AutoCAD users have access to simple commands such as Line and Erase, as well as more complex ones, like Chamfer and Fillet, so designers and drafters are able to create and manipulate their drawings with ease.

Managing Layers

AutoCAD’s layer system is among the application’s many features that make it the world’s favorite CAD software. Every AutoCAD drawing has an undeletable special layer known as Layer 0, and users can add an unlimited number of layers on top of this. Students in an AutoCAD certificate program will learn how to use layers to manage plotting, control visibility, and organize and segregate features in a drawing.

Working with Blocks

Blocks are another feature of AutoCAD that makes it a favorite application for drafters and designers. Blocks are groups of objects that the user can either make themselves or find premade. As blocks allow designers and drafters to insert repeat content into their drawings easily, they help users save time and guarantee consistency throughout their work while also reducing their file size. AutoCAD students will learn how to take advantage of blocks in their certificate programs, as well as other tips about working with objects.

Annotating and Dimensioning

Annotations are a useful tool AutoCAD provides to help you add clarity to your drawings using either text or symbols. Essential data can be added to a drawing easily by annotating, including dimensions. Dimensioning is a subtype of AutoCAD annotations that allows you to specify sizes, angles, and distances between objects. AutoCAD certificate programs will arm you with the commands to add these numbers and other vital information to your drawings as annotations.

Creating Data Tables

AutoCAD offers users the ability to create spreadsheet-like tables to record important data related to drawings they create in the application. In AutoCAD certificate programs, students will learn to create simple tables in AutoCAD from scratch. Many will also introduce students to AutoCAD’s helpful feature of allowing data to be imported from Excel to create a table.

AutoCAD Industries in San Diego

San Diego’s architecture and construction industry is among the many employers of drafters, CAD drafters, and other professionals who rely on AutoCAD to perform their day-to-day tasks. San Diego boasts an exceptionally supportive environment for architecture professionals as a city that appreciates their value in creating a beautiful, functional, and sustainable cityscape.

Aerospace is another exciting industry for AutoCAD experts in San Diego. The city boasts the largest aerospace, aircraft, and research and development companies in the field, employing many mechanical engineers, designers, and other professionals who use AutoCAD to create plans for safe and innovative aircraft.

San Diego’s thriving manufacturing industry is another large employer of individuals certified in AutoCAD. The city is home to nearly 4,000 advanced manufacturing companies that produce items ranging from ships to medical devices. This exciting industry offers ample opportunities to those interested in designing and engineering products of all kinds.

AutoCAD Careers in San Diego

An AutoCAD certificate program is an excellent way to prepare for a career as a Drafter or CAD Drafter. Most earn at least an associate degree as a pathway into the field, but a certificate program can complement this degree or be paired with an apprenticeship to build an impressive résumé for an entry-level position as a Drafter. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a declining job outlook through 2032 for drafters, Californians have the benefit of living in the second-highest state for employment of architectural and civil drafters. Indeed reports that CAD drafters in San Diego can look forward to salaries ranging from $52,000 to $97,000.

Another career option for those interested in working with AutoCAD in San Diego is mechanical engineering for the aerospace industry or in another sector such as manufacturing, energy, or biomechanics. While the majority of mechanical engineers have a bachelor’s degree, it is possible to break into the field with the right knowledge gained in a certificate program and experience earned in an apprenticeship or another low-responsibility engineering position. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job outlook projection for mechanical engineers is much faster than average, at 10% through 2032. According to Indeed, mechanical engineer salaries in San Diego may range between $61,000 and $154,000.

Should You Pursue a Certificate or Certification

While they may sound like interchangeable terms, AutoCAD certificates and certifications are two distinctly different things. You can earn an AutoCAD certificate by attending a certificate program at a training school, community college, or university. Like a diploma or college degree, a certificate verifies an individual’s successful completion of an educational program and will never expire. Meanwhile, certifications are awarded by software companies and professional organizations rather than training institutions. An individual can earn an AutoCAD certification by passing an exam that verifies their proficiency using the program, whether it was learned in an educational program, self-taught, or gained through on-the-job experience.

An AutoCAD certificate is an excellent option for a beginner preparing to enter a career using the software application. A certificate program provides students with a solid education in using the program as they intend to in their future careers, making it an invaluable step in preparing for an entry-level job in drafting or engineering. It’s an excellent complement to an apprenticeship as a pathway to your dream job. On the other hand, an Autodesk Certified Professional in AutoCAD for Design and Drafting certification is an excellent way for a professional to turn their knowledge of the application into an impressive qualification that can open up doors in a career, including opportunities for promotions and higher wages. Some opt to take a certification-prep program or a certificate program to prepare for an AutoCAD certification exam, as the qualification can be beneficial to list on anyone’s résumé who may desire to work a job using the software.

Top AutoCAD Certificate Programs in San Diego

An AutoCAD certificate program is a streamlined yet thorough education in the application that will prepare you to use it confidently in your career. An added bonus is the certificate you earn upon graduating, which you can list under the education section of your résumé or LinkedIn profile to verify that you’ve learned the skills taught in that program.

AutoCAD Bootcamp

New York State-licensed design and coding school Noble Desktop offers an AutoCAD Bootcamp that provides graduates with a verified digital certificate of completion that can be linked to their social media profiles. The bootcamp is available in-person in Manhattan and live online for students in San Diego. Tuition for the 30-hour program is $949 and covers a free retake option good for one year and all curricula and supplementary materials. No prior experience is required, though students are expected to be comfortable using a computer.

The AutoCAD Bootcamp is a discounted package of Noble’s AutoCAD Level I and AutoCAD Level II courses. These two bootcamp modules can be taken as a five-day full-time learning experience or a part-time weeknight program in five weeks. In AutoCAD Level I, you’ll learn the application’s basic drawing and editing tools and how to work with layers, blocks, and advanced object types. You’ll also discover how to annotate your drawing, set up layouts, and print your designs. As a student in AutoCAD Level II, you’ll explore more advanced AutoCAD skills such as using tracking points and construction lines, working with external references, and creating data tables.

Specialized Certificate in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM)

The University of California San Diego’s Extended Studies department provides a Specialized Certificate in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM). This AutoCAD certificate program is available live online or in-person in San Diego, depending on the quarter a student applies. Estimated tuition is $2,970, not including parking, textbooks, and other materials. The certificate program features six courses and may take students between three and nine months to complete, depending on how many classes they sign up for per quarter. No prerequisites are required, but students with a college degree will receive preference if the number of applicants exceeds capacity.

Three courses in this certificate program focus on AutoCAD, and three focus on Autodesk Revit. Students will gain a comprehensive proficiency in both applications and be ready to use them for architectural drafting, modeling, and visualization projects in their architecture, engineering, landscaping, product design, or interior design careers. By the end of the program, students will have an advanced knowledge of how to use these CAD and BIM applications to develop, assemble, and integrate drawings into real-world project document sets.

AutoCAD Drafting and Design Certificate of Achievement

Palomar College offers an AutoCAD Drafting and Design Certificate of Achievement in-person at its San Marcos campus. Prospective students may visit Palomar’s website to calculate tuition for themselves, as the cost of attendance may vary based on several different factors. Students may complete this nine-unit AutoCAD certificate program in one semester.

In this AutoCAD Drafting and Design Program, students will learn the fundamental skills of AutoCAD necessary to gain an entry-level position in drafting. Professionals already working in drafting and design who wish to add a certificate in AutoCAD to their qualifications are also welcome in the certificate program. Students will attend three classes to earn their AutoCAD certificate, including AutoCAD I, AutoCAD II, and Print Reading and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerance. By the end of the program, students will be able to use advanced modeling techniques to create industry-standard drawings, incorporate design intent throughout the drawing process, and use industry-standard geometric dimension and tolerance practices when creating mechanical drawings.

AutoCAD Basics

San Diego State University Global Campus partners with Ed2go to offer AutoCAD Basics, a self-paced online course that awards a certificate of completion to all of its graduates. Tuition for the course is $1,739, with financing available through Affirm. Students will have three months to complete this 60-hour AutoCAD certificate program. No prerequisites are required.

This hands-on AutoCAD Basics course introduces students to the foundational skills they need to confidently use AutoCAD in architecture and construction. The training program includes optional projects, including a floor plan, roof plan, electrical plan, structural foundation plan, and building elevations. Together, these projects form a portfolio of construction documents. Students will learn the full workflow of AutoCAD, from creating drafting symbols to completing a deliverable printed sheet, by the end of the program.

AutoCAD for Novice Users

ONLC Training Centers provides their AutoCAD for Novice Users course live online or in-person in San Diego for a fee of $2,495. This five-day AutoCAD training program is for students with little or no experience with the application, drafting, or architectural design. While this is not a certificate program, it may be purchased together with AutoCAD Level 2: Intermediate for $2,995 as an ACU Novice Certification Bundle. Students may add on an exam voucher and exam prep software for an additional fee of $135.

No experience is required to attend this AutoCAD class, but students should have a working knowledge of the Windows operating system. A wheeled mouse is necessary to perform classwork within AutoCAD. Students will have ample time for practice labs and review sessions to ensure they master the skills taught in the program such as using drawing and editing commands, working with layers and blocks, annotating, and printing drawings. By the end of AutoCAD for Novice Users, students will be confident users of the application well on their way to being prepared to pass their AutoCAD certification exam.

AutoCAD—Combo (Essentials & Advanced) Course

Certstaffix Training’s AutoCAD—Combo (Essentials & Advanced) Course is a bundle of their AutoCAD Essentials and AutoCAD Advanced classes, which may also be purchased separately. Together, these two courses will prepare students to pass the AutoCAD certification exam. Students will also earn a certificate of completion upon finishing the courses. This full-time six-day live online combo of AutoCAD courses is $3,150 per person. Students must have a working knowledge of basic drafting and design, including procedures and terminology.

The AutoCAD Essentials class guides students to a fundamental understanding of how to create and modify 2D drawings in the application. After the instructor introduces students to the AutoCAD interface and workspace, they will learn how to use basic drawing and editing tools, organize drawing objects on layers, work with blocks, and add hatching, text, and dimensions. Following the AutoCAD Essentials course, students will attend the AutoCAD Advanced training program. In this class, students will build their confidence as AutoCAD users through the mastery of more advanced tools and techniques. These include text objects, tables, dynamic blocks and attributes, publishing files for review, and collaboration and automation tools.

Self-guided AutoCAD Programs

Students who are looking to make a career out of using AutoCAD might also be interested in their options for career focused, self-guided classes. These courses allow students to learn at their own pace (with guidance and assistance from a professional mentor) and they provide students with career-focused training and job placement support. While many students find it desirable to learn from a live instructor, these self-paced classes are the perfect fit for self-motivated students looking to make a career out of their AutoCAD training.

AutoCAD Certificate Program

The Visual Design and Construction Institute (VDCI) offers an immersive AutoCAD certificate program that aims to help students become career ready within only a few weeks of training. This program provides students with hands-on, job-focused training in the use of AutoCAD and the course is designed with new students in mind, meaning that you’ll move from your first construction draft to a capstone project to add to your professional portfolio over the course of the certificate program. This program also offers students the opportunity to take up to 80 hours of electives to help them specialize in subjects including Revit, SketchUp and Civil 3D Pro. With this option for specialization and the focus on career development training, this certificate program is an ideal entry point for aspiring designers, architects and engineers looking to learn how to use AutoCAD in a professional capacity.

AutoCAD Fundamentals

Students looking for an accelerated introduction to AutoCAD and computer-aided design generally may be interested in taking this introductory course offered by VDCI. Students will learn the basics of using AutoCAD and practical skills that they can bring back to their current jobs or use as the baseline for future CAD training (including some of the other advanced classes offered through VDCI). In this class, students will get live, hands-on instruction in the use of AutoCAD, including exercises in which they create drafting symbols, kitchens and bath fixtures, a floor plan, and deliverable file sheets. While you’ll need more training if you want to make a career out of your AutoCAD skills, this course is an excellent introduction to the kinds of projects that AutoCAD professionals will need to utilize.

AutoCAD Professional

If you have already taken the AutoCAD fundamentals program or you have experience with AutoCAD from another source, you may be interested in moving towards professional level training in this advanced AutoCAD program. In this program, students will learn how to create 2D designs for construction documents that meet all of the necessary and legal standards that they are expected to follow. This course offers practical skills training and is designed to ensure that experienced AutoCAD users are able to get the accelerated training that they need to start using the application in more complex professional capacities. This course is built to help students learn at their own pace and class scheduling is incredibly flexible for professionals looking to develop new skills while still working.